ARTHUR  M 


"  MV  GRACIOUS !    LOOK  AT  THAT  !  " 
The  Raver  Hoys  Under  Canvas.  (Frontispiece)— Page  28 


THE  ROVER  BOYS 
UNDER  CANVAS 

OR 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE 
WRECKED  SUBMARINE 


BY 


AUTHOR  OF  "THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL,"  "THE  ROVES 

BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN,"  "THE  PUTKAM 

HALL  SERIES,"  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS 

Made  in  the  United  Stated  of  America 


BOOKS  BY  ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

(Edward  Stratemeyer) 


THE  FIRST  ROVER  BOYS  SERIES 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  SCHOOL 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  OCEAN 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  JUNGLE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  OUT  WEST 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  CAMP 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  LAND  AND  SEA 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  RIVER 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  PLAINS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  SOUTHERN  WATERS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  FARM 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  TREASURE  ISLE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLLEGE 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  DOWN  EAST 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  THE  AIR 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  NEW  YORK 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  ALASKA 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  IN  BUSINESS 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  A  TOUR 


THE  SECOND  ROVER  BOYS  SERIES 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  AT  COLBY  HALL 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  SNOWSHOE  ISLAND 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 


THE  PUTNAM  HALL  SERIES 

THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CADETS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  RIVALS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  CHAMPIONS 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  REBELLION 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  ENCAMPMENT 
THE  PUTNAM  HALL  MYSTERY 

I2mo.    Goth.    Illustrated. 
GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  Publishers,  New  York 

COPYRIGHT,  1910,  itr 
EDWARD  STRATEMEYER 


Th€  Rover  Boys  Under  Canvcu 


Stack 
Annex 


INTRODUCTION 

MY  DEAR  BOYS  :  This  book  is  a  complete  story 
in  itself,  but  forms  the  third  volume  in  a  line  is- 
sued  under  the  general  title,  "The  Second  Rover 
Boys  Series  for  Young  Americans." 

As  mentioned  in  a  number  of  volumes  of  the 
first  series,  this  line  was  started  some  years  ago 
with  the  publication  of  "The  Rover  Boys  at 
School,"  "On  the  Ocean,"  and  "In  the  Jun 
gle,"  in  which  I  introduced  my  young  readers  to 
Dick,  Tom,  and  Sam  Rover.  The  volumes  of 
the  first  series  related  the  doings  of  these  three 
Rover  boys  while  attending  Putnam  Hall  Mili 
tary  Academy,  Brill  College,  and  while  on  numer 
ous  outings. 

Having  acquired  a  good  education,  the  three 
young  men  established  themselves  in  business  and 
became  married.  Presently  Dick  Rover  was 
blessed  with  a  son  and  a  daughter,  as  was  also 
his  brother  Sam,  while  Tom  Rover  became  the 
proud  father  of  twin  boys.  At  first  the  four  lads 
were  kept  at  home,  but  then  it  was  thought  best 

Hi 


2076531 


iv  INTRODUCTION 

to  seed  them  to  a  boarding  school,  and  in  the  first 
volume  of  the  second  series,  entitled  "The  Rover 
Boys  at  Colby  Hall,"  I  related  what  happened 
to  them  while  attending  this  institution. 

From  Colby  Hall  the  scene  was  shifted  to 
Snowshoe  Island,  where  the  lads  went  for  a  mid 
winter  outing.  Here  they  ran  into  a  most  un 
usual  mystery,  and  helped  an  old  lumberman  to 
establish  his  claim  to  the  island. 

In  the  present  volume  the  boys  are  back  at 
Colby  Hall,  but  it  is  time  for  the  annual  encamp 
ment  of  the  military  school,  and  soon  they,  de 
part  for  a  brief  season  "Under  Canvas."  This  is 
at  the  time  of  the  World  War,  and  the  lads  get 
mixed  up  in  the  mystery  surrounding  a  wrecked 
submarine.  What  this  led  to,  I  leave  for  the 
pages  which  follow  to  relate. 

In  conclusion  I  wish  to  thank  my  numerous 
readers  for  all  the  nice  things  they  have  said 
about  my  books.  I  trust  the  reading  of  the  vol 
umes  will  do  all  of  them  good. 

Affectionately  and  sincerely  yours, 

EDWARD  STRATEMEYRR. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  A  GAME  OF  BASEBALL i 

II  ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS 12 

III  THE  AMMUNITION  FACTORY  EXPLOSIONS  . .  25 

IV  A  RESCUE  ON  THE  LAKE 35 

V  MEETING  OLD  ENEMIES 41 

VI  CELEBRATING  THE  BASEBALL  VICTORY 56 

VII  FUN  WITH  CODFISH 66 

VIII  AN  INTERRUPTED  FEAST 76 

IX  A  TELEGRAM  FROM  HOME 87 

X  ON  THE  WAY  HOME 98 

XI  TOM  ROVER'S  DILEMMA 109 

XII  AT  THE  ROVER  COMPANY  OFFICES 120 

XIII  FUN  AT  A  RAILROAD  STATION 132 

XIV  BACK  TO  COLBY  HALL 142 

XV  THE  ELECTION  FOR  OFFICERS 153 

XVI  OFF  FOR  THE  ENCAMPMENT 164 

XVII  A  NIGHT  ON  THE  ROAD 175 

XVTII  ONE  SURPRISE  AND  ANOTHER 184 

XIX  AT  CAMP  BARLIGHT 194 

y 


i  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XX  FIRST  DAYS  UNDER  CANVAS 202 

XXI  STRANGE  NOISES 212 

XXII  AT  THE  RIFLE  RANGES 221 

XXIII  Gnu.  VISITORS 231 

XXIV  Ton  ROVEB'S  ANNOUNCEMENT 240 

XXV  AT  CAMP  HUXWELL 250 

XXVI  AN  ASTONISHING  DISCOVERY 260 

XXVII  ON  BOARD  THE  SUBMARINE 271 

XXVIII  THE  CABIN  IN  THE  WOODS 282 

XXIX  THE  FIGHT  ON  THE  SUBMARINE 291 

XXX  AN  IMPORTANT  CAPTURE — CowcLusioar . . .  300 


THE  ROVER  BOYS 
UNDER  CANVAS 

CHAPTER  I 

A    GAME   OF    BASEBALL 

"Now  for  a  home  run,  Jackf 

"Soak  it  out  over  the  bleachers  !* 

"Show  the  Hixley  boys  what  we  can  doP' 

"Give  him  a  swift  one,  Dink!  Don't  let  him 
hit  it!" 

"Oh,  dear,  I  do  hope  Jack  scores !"  came  in  a 
sweet,  girlish  voice. 

"Of  course  he'll  score!"  returned  a  youth  sit 
ting  near  the  girl  who  had  made  the  remark. 
"He's  been  holding  back  for  just  this  chance." 

"Oh,  do  you  think  so?"  asked  another  girl  in 
the  grandstand. 

"Surest  thing  ever  was,"  was  the  airy  re 
joinder.  "This  is  the  time  we're  going  to  show 
the  Hixley  boys  what's  what." 

"Not  on  your  life!"  bellowed  a  heavy  voice 
i 


2     THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

from  the  rear.    "Here  is  where  Colby  Hall  gets 
snowed  under." 

Then  came  a  series  of  yells,  followed  by  the 
tooting  of  horns  and  the  sounding  of  rattles,  mak 
ing  a  din  that  was  almost  ear-splitting. 

The  occasion  was  the  annual  baseball  game  be 
tween  Hixley  High  and  Colby  Hall.  It  had  been 
scheduled  to  take  place  on  the  high-school  athletic 
field,  but  at  almost  the  last  minute  this  field  had 
been  declared  out  of  condition,  and  it  had  been 
decided  to  hold  the  contest  on  the  athletic 
grounds  attached  to  the  military  academy. 

Hixley  High  was  very  anxious  to  win  this 
game.  During  the  previous  fall,  as  related  in  a 
former  volume  of  this  series,  the  high-school  lads 
had  lost  the  annual  football  game  with  Colby  Hall 
by  a  single  touchdown.  This  defeat  still  rankled 
in  their  minds,  and  they  were  determined  if  pos 
sible  to  take  the  baseball  game  by  a  score  that 
should  be  well  worth  while. 

And  they  had  good  reason  to  be  hopeful  of 
doing  this.  While  their  football  team  had  always 
been  considered  by  the  other  teams  of  that  local 
ity  to  be  of  the  "second  string  variety,"  the  base 
ball  nine  was  a  remarkably  strong  organization. 
At  its  head  was  Dink  Wilsey,  a  pitcher  who  was 
destined  at  some  time  in  the  future  to  show  him 
self  in  one  of  the  big  leagues. 


A  GAME  OF  BASEBALL  3 

"Why,  Dink  alone  can  walk  off  with  that 
game,"  was  the  way  more  than  one  Hixley  High 
student  had  expressed  himself. 

But  more  than  this — Hixley  High  had  an  ex 
ceptionally  good  first  baseman  and  a  trio  of  out 
fielders  whose  batting  average  was  high. 

"We're  going  to  put  it  all  over  Colby  Hall  this 
trip,"  was  the  way  the  manager  of  the  Hixley 
High  ball  club  declared  himself  on  the  day  pre 
vious  to  the  match. 

The  game  was  now  at  the  second  half  of  the 
sixth  inning,  and  the  score  stood,  Hixley  High, 
4 ;  Colby  Hall,  2.  Colby  Hall  was  at  the  bat  with 
two  men  out  and  one  man  at  second. 

It  was  therefore  no  wonder  that  the  military 
academy  students  became  anxious  when  Jack 
Rover  took  up  his  bat  and  walked  to  the  plate. 
A  home  run  would  mean  the  tying  of  the  score, 
and  with  a  chance  to  do  even  better. 

"Take  your  time,  Jack,"  said  Gif  Garrison, 
who  was  the  manager  of  the  nine.  "Make  him 
give  you  a  ball  just  where  you  want  it." 

"Watch  yourself!"  yelled  one  of  the  coaches 
to  the  runner  at  second,  for  the  Hixley  High 
pitcher  had  suddenly  whirled  around,  sending 
the  ball  down  to  the  second  baseman.  There  was 
a  quick  drop  by  the  runner,  and  he  escaped  get 
ting  caught  by  a  few  inches  only. 


4     THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Close  shave!  Watch  yourself,  Dan!"  yelled 
Gif  Garrison;  and  Dan  Soppmger,  at  second, 
nodded  to  show  that  he  understood,  and  then 
danced  away  in  the  direction  of  third  base  as  be 
fore. 

The  first  ball  pitched  to  Jack  Rover  was  a  slow 
in-curve,  and  he  stepped  back  and  allowed  it  to 
pass  him. 

"Ball  one!" 

At  this  decision  a  howl  of  delight  went  up  from 
the  followers  of  Colby  Hall,  while  a  correspond 
ing  groan  came  from  Hixley  High. 

"That's  the  eye!" 

"Better  get  a  pair  of  glasses  T' 

"Sure !  The  umpire  must  be  blind !  That  was 
a  perfect  ball!" 

"Sure  it  was  a  perfect  ball !  That's  the  reason 
he  called  it  a  ball !"  came  from  Andy  Rover,  who 
sat  on  the  substitutes'  bench. 

The  second  ball  delivered  was  a  fairly  good 
one,  although  rather  low.  Jack  swung  at  it,  and 
high  into  the  air  spun  the  sphere,  well  back  of  the 
catcher's  head. 

"Foul!" 

"Run,  Billy,  you  can  catch  it !" 

Flinging  off  his  mask,  the  Hixley  High  catcher 
rushed  back  toward  where  the  ball  was  coming 
down.  But  it  was  too  far  away  for  him,  and  it 


A  GAME  OF  BASEBALL  5 

struck  slantingly  on  one  of  the  back  posts,  rolling 
off  toward  the  grandstand. 

"Line  it  out,  Tack!  Don't  be  fooling  with 
fouls !"  yelled  Fred  Rover. 

"Show  'em  where  the  river  is!"  added  Randy 
Rover. 

The  next  ball  to  come  in  was  a  wide  out-curve, 
and  again  Jack  let  it  pass  him. 

"Ball  two!"  shouted  the  umpire. 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it,  Jack !  Make  'em  give 
you  what  you  want !" 

With  two  balls  against  him,  the  noted  pitcher 
for  the  high  school  exercised  a  little  more  care 
in  his  next  delivery.  He  sent  in  a  straight,  swift 
one,  directly  over  the  outer  point  of  the  plate.  It 
was  not  exactly  what  Jack  desired,  but  it  was 
good  enough,  and  he  swung  at  it  with  all  his 
strength.  Crack!  And  the  ball  went  sailing  di 
rectly  over  the  head  of  the  shortstop  and  into  the 
field  beyond. 

"Run,  Jack !  Run !  It's  good  for  a  two-bag 
ger!" 

"Leg  it,  Dan!    Leg  it  for  home!" 

"Send  the  ball  in,  Wiffles!  Don't  let  'em  get 
home!" 

These  and  a  hundred  other  cries  rang  out  as 
nearly  every  spectator  sprang  to  his  or  her  feet  in 
the  excitement.  Dan  Soppinger,  half  way  to  third 


6     THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

when  Jack  made  the  hit,  had  now  touched  that 
bag  and  was  tearing  for  the  home  plate. 

In  the  meantime  Jack,  running  like  a  deer,  had 
passed  first  and  was  making  for  second.  The 
shortstop  had  made  a  high  but  ineffectual  jump 
for  the  ball,  and  now  he  and  the  fielder  behind 
him  were  both  after  the  sphere.  There  was  a 
short  mix-up,  and  then  the  fielder  sent  the  ball 
with  unerring  aim  toward  the  catcher  at  the  home 
plate. 

"Slide,  Dan,  slide!" 

And  then  Dan  Soppinger,  running  as  he  had 
never  run  before,  dropped  down  and  slid  to  the 
plate  amid  a  whirl  of  dust,  followed  instantly  by 
the  ball,  which  landed  with  a  thud  in  the  catcher's 
mitt. 

"He's  safe!    He's  safe!" 

"And  look!  Jack  Rover  is  going  to  make 
third!" 

Realizing  that  it  was  too  late  to  catch  the  man 
at  the  plate,  the  catcher  threw  the  ball  down  to 
second.  But  Jack  Rover  had  already  started  for 
third,  and  now  he  streaked  along  with  all  his 
might,  arriving  at  that  bag  just  an  instant  before 
the  ball  followed  him. 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it,  boy !    Keep  it  up !" 

"Oh,  he  made  three  bases!"  cried  one  of  thte 
girls  in  the  grandstand.  "Isn't  that  just  lovely?" 


A  GAME  OF  BASEBALL  J 

"I  told  you  he'd  do  it,  Ruth,"  said  another  of 
the  girls. 

"I  wish  my  cousin  Dick  was  coming  up,"  re 
marked  one  of  the  girls.  "I'm  sure  he  would  be 
able  to  help  them  out." 

"Never  mind,  May.  He'll  be  coming  up  pretty 
soon,"  answered  Ruth  Stevenson. 

The  next  cadet  to  the  bat  was  Walt  Baxter. 
Walt  was  a  good  all-around  player,  but  just  at 
present  he  was  not  in  the  best  of  condition,  hav 
ing  suffered  from  a  touch  of  the  grippe  early  in 
the  season. 

"Bang  out  a  homer,  Walt!"  sang  out  Andy 
Rover. 

"Never  mind  that,  Walt.  Make  a  safe  hit  and 
.bring  Jack  in,"  said  Gif  Garrison. 

"I'll  do  my  best,"  answered  Walt  Baxter.  But 
it  was  plainly  to  be  seen  that  his  recent  illness  had 
rendered  him  somewhat  nervous.  He  had  a  ball 
and  a  strike  called  on  him,  and  then  got  another 
strike  through  a  little  foul  that  passed  over  one 
of  the  coaches'  heads.  Then  Dink  Wilsey  passed 
him  a  slow,  tantalizing  ball.  Walt  connected  with 
it  but  sent  up  only  a  pop  fly,  which  the  third 
baseman  gathered  in  with  ease. 

"Hurrah!  that's  the  way  to  hold  'em  down," 
came  the  cry  from  one  of  the  high-school  boys. 


8  THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Gee,  old  man,  it's  too  bad  you  didn't  have  a 
chance  to  bring  that  run  in,"  remarked  Gif  Gar 
rison  to  Jack  Rover,  as  the  latter  walked  in  from 
third  base. 

"Well,  anyway,  I  brought  Dan  in,"  returned 
Jack,  as  cheerfully  as  he  could. 

"Yes;  but  if  you  had  got  in  that  would  have 
tied  the  score,"  went  on  the  manager.  "How 
ever,  the  game  isn't  over  yet." 

"Over!  Why,  we've  just  begun  to  play!"  re 
turned  Jack,  with  a  grin. 

"That's  the  talk !"  cried  Andy  Rover.  "Colby 
Hall  forever!  Now  then,  boys,  all  together!"  he 
yelled,  turning  to  the  grandstand.  And  a  mo 
ment  later  there  boomed  out  this  refrain : 

"Who  are  we? 
Can't  you  see? 
Colby  Hall! 

Dum !     Dum  I     Dum,  dum,  dura  I 
Here  we  come  with  fife  and  drum! 
Colby!     Colby!     Colby  Hall!" 

And  then  followed  a  great  yelling  and  tooting 
of  horns  and  sounding  of  rattles. 

"My  gracious!  if  they  keep  on  I'll  surely  be 
come  deaf,"  said  Martha  Rover. 

"I  think  I  had  better  retire  from  this  game," 
remarked  Walt  Baxter,  as  he  faced  the  manager. 


A  GAME  OF  BASEBALL  9 

"I  told  you  I  didn't  fed  like  going  in,  and  now  I 
am  sure  I  should  have  kept  out  of  it." 

"All  right,  Walt.  I'll  be  sorry  to  lose  you," 
answered  Gif.  And  then  he  told  Andy  Rover  to 
get  ready  to  get  into  the  game. 

With  a  score  still  4  to  3  in  their  favor,  Hixley 
High  opened  the  seventh  inning  with  vigor.  They 
managed  to  get  a  man  on  first,  and  then  on  a 
sacrifice  advanced  him  to  second.  Then  came  a 
two-bagger,  and  the  play  made  by  Colby  Hall  in 
the  ending  of  the  sixth  inning  was  repeated  by 
their  opponents,  thus  making  the  score  5  to  3. 

On  their  part  Colby  Hall  tried  its  best  to  score 
during  the  seventh,  but  was  doomed  to  disap 
pointment. 

Then  came  the  eighth  inning  with  a  goose  egg 
placed  on  the  board  for  each  nine. 

"Say,  this  begins  to  look  bad  for  us,"  remarked 
Will  Hendry,  the  fattest  boy  at  Colby  Hall.  "It 
looks  as  if  Hixley  High  was  going  to  have  a 
*weet  revenge," 

In  the  Hixley  High  half  of  the  ninth  inning 
Dink  Wilsey  showed  what  a  very  good  all-around 
player  he  was.  The  noted  pitcher  cracked  out  a 
home  run,  making  the  tally  with  ease.  Fortu 
nately  this  was  at  a  time  when  there  was  no  one 
on  base,  so  that  only  oae  run  was  scored.  Two 
men  were  out,  and  the  next  player  knocked  a  fly 


10    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

to  short,  which  was  gathered  in  by  Frank  New- 
berry  with  ease. 

"Hurrah!     Score  another  for  Hixley  High!" 
"That  makes  the  score  six  to  three !" 
"I  guess  this  game  is  as  good  as  won !" 
So  the  cries   ran  on  among  the  high-school 
scholars  and  their  friends.    The  Colby  Hall  con 
tingent  was,  of  course,  much  downcast,  but  they 
refused  to  show  it,  and  once  more  the  slogan  of 
the  military  academy  boomed  forth. 

"Now,  boys,  pull  yourselves  together  and  go  at 
'em  hammer  and  tongs,"  cried  Gif  Garrison. 
"Watch  the  pitcher.  Don't  let  Dink  put  any 
thing  over  you." 

Fred  Rover  was  at  the  bat,  and  he  managed  to 
make  a  safe  hit.  He  was  followed  by  a  player 
who  made  another  safe  hit,  thus  advancing  Fred 
to  second.  Then  came  two  outs,  but  in  the  mix- 
up  Fred  managed  to  steal  to  third,  while  the 
player  on  first  got  down  to  second.  Jack  Rover 
was  now  once  more  to  the  bat,  and  all  of  his 
friends  were  yelling  at  the  top  of  their  lungs  for 
him  to  "Knock  the  hide  off  the  ball!"  "Send  it 
ove*  the  back  fence !"  "Show  'em  where  the  other 
side  of  the  river  is!"  and  to  "Wipe  up  the  field 
with  Hixley  High!" 

One  ball  was  called,  and  then  a  strike.  Then 
came  another  strike,  and  things  began  to  look 


A  GAME  OF  BASEBALL  n 

gloomy  for  Colby  Hall.  But  tKen  Jack  got  a 
baH  exactly  where  he  wanted  it,  and  he  swung  at 
it  with  every  ounce  of  muscle  he  could  com 
mand.  Crack !  went  the  bat,  and  the  sphere  went 
sailing  far  down  in  left  field. 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it !    Run,  boys,  run  1"        ' 

"Come  on  home,  Jack!" 

Fred,  on  third,  was  already  streaking  for 
home,  and  close  behind  him  came  the  player  who 
had  been  on  second.  In  the  meanwhile,  Jack 
raced  to  first  and  around  to  second,  and  then  came 
plowing  up  to  third. 

"Hold  it,  Rover!    Hold  it!" 

"Come  on  in — don't  wait!    Come  on  in!" 

Jack  looked  down  into  the  field  and  saw  that 
the  fielder  was  just  in  the  act  of  picking  up  the 
ball.  With  a  great  bound,  he  started  for  the 
home  plate,  and  when  ten  feet  from  that  place 
dropped  to  the  ground  and  slid  in  with  the  rapid 
ity  of  lightning. 

"He's  safe !    A  home  run !" 

"That  ties  the  score !" 

"Now  then,  boys,  go  in  and  finish  'em  up !" 

The  din  and  excitement  was  now  tremendous. 
The  score  was  indeed  a  tie.  Which  club  would 
win? 


CHAPTER  II 

ABOUT   THE   ROVER  BOYS 

"Now  then,  fellows,  don't  forget  to  bring  in 
the  winning  run!" 

"Show  Hixley  High  what  we  can  do!" 

And  then  came  a  rousing  cheer  from  the  Colby 
Hall  cadets,  and  once  more  they  gave  the  well- 
known  military  academy  refrain. 

Any  ordinary  pitcher  might  have  been  nervous 
over  the  prospect  ahead  of  him ;  but  Dink  Wilsey 
was  not  one  of  that  caliber,  and  he  faced  the  next 
batsman  as  coolly  as  he  had  all  of  the  others. 
Two  balls  were  called,  and  then  two  strikes,  and 
then  two  more  balls,  and  the  batsman  walked  to 
first  base. 

"Hurrah!  he's  afraid  to  give  him  the  kind  we 
chew  up." 

"Maybe  he'll  let  the  next  man  walk,  too !"  cried 
another. 

But  this  was  not  to  be.  The  next  cadet  up  went 
out  on  a  foul,  and  the  inning  came  to  a  sudden 
end. 

12 


ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS        13 

"A  tie !    A  tie !    The  game  is  a  tie !" 

"Now  for  the  winning  run!     Hixley  High!" 

'That's  the  stuff!  Larsen  to  the  bat!  And, 
my,  won't  he  wallop  that  ball !" 

Larsen  was  the  Hixley  High  center  fielder — a 
tall,  sturdy  youth  with  blue  eyes  and  light  hair, 
of  Norwegian  descent.  He  came  to  the  plate 
with  a  "do-or-die"  look  on  his  face.  He  allowed 
two  balls  to  pass  him,  only  one  of  which,  how 
ever,  was  called  a  strike.  Then  he  made  a  sweep 
for  the  next  ball,  sending  it  out  in  a  red-hot  liner 
toward  Jack. 

Many  a  young  ball  player  would  have  stepped 
out  of  the  way  with  such  a  red-hot  variety  of 
baseball  coming  his  way.  But  not  so  Jack  Rover. 
Like  a  flash  his  hands  went  out  and  he  caught  the 
ball  firmly,  although  the  impact  of  the  sphere 
whirled  him  half  way  around. 

"Gee,  look  at  that!" 

"I  wouldn't  have  caught  that  ball  for  a  thou 
sand  dollars!" 

A  great  shout  of  approval  rang  out,  and  during 
this  Gif  hurried  over  to  Jack's  side. 

"How  about  it — did  it  hurt  you  any  ?"  he  ques 
tioned  quickly. 

"It  stung  me  a  little,  that's  all,"  was  Jack's 
reply.  His  hands  burnt  like  fire,  but  he  did  not 
intend  to  let  anybody  know  it. 


I4          THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"One  down!  Now  for  the  other  two!"  came 
the  cry. 

"Not  much !    Here  is  where  we  score !" 

But  alas  for  the  hopes  of  Hixley  High!  The 
next  man  up  went  out  on  strikes,  and  the  fellow 
to  follow  knocked  a  foul  which  was  easily  gath 
ered  in  by  the  third  baseman. 

"Now  here  is  where  we  bring  home  the  bacon !" 
cried  Ned  Lowe,  one  of  the  Colby  Hall  fans. 

Andy  Rover  had  been  burning  to  distinguish 
himself,  and  now  his  chance  came.  First  to  the 
bat,  he  made  a  very  neat  base  hit.  Then,  how 
ever,  came  an  out,  and  the  Colby  Hall  boys  were, 
for  a  moment,  downcast.  But  they  quickly  re 
covered  when  the  next  player  made  a  single  and 
Andy  slid  around  safely  to  third. 

"Now  then,  a  hit !  Just  a  neat  little  hit !"  came 
the  entreating  cry. 

"Oh,  if  only  they  do  get  it!"  murmured  Ruth 
Stevenson.  "I  wish  Jack  was  at  the  bat." 

"It's  my  cousin  Dick !"  cried  May  Powell,  and 
she  was  right — Spouter  Powell  was  up. 

Spouter  was  not  a  particularly  strong  ball 
player,  but  he  had  one  feature  which  was  in  his 
favor — he  knew  how  to  keep  cool,  and  that  helped 
greatly  in  this  heart-breaking  emergency.  He 
waited  calmly  until  two  strikes  and  two  balls  had 
been  called,  and  then  he  struck  a  low  one,  sending 


ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS        15 

it  just  inside  the  first-base  line.  It  slipped  past 
the  baseman,  and  as  Spouter's  feet  crossed  the 
bag,  Fred  Rover  slid  in  safely  to  the  home  plate. 

"Hurrah!    Hurrah!    Colby  Hall  wins !" 

Then  followed  a  wild  cheering  and  yelling,  in 
the  midst  of  which  the  crowds  on  the  bleachers 
and  the  grandstand  broke  forth  to  mingle  with 
the  players  on  the  ball  field.  Of  course,  the  Hix- 
ley  High  students  were  much  crestfallen,  yet  they 
tried  to  take  their  defeat  in  good  part. 

"Three  cheers  for  Hixley  High!"  shouted  Gif 
Garrison,  and  they  were  given  with  a  will.  Then 
followed  a  cheer  from  the  high-school  students 
for  those  of  the  military  academy,  and  then  the 
crowd  started  to  disperse. 

"Oh,  boys!  some  celebration  to-night,  what?" 
cried  Randy  Rover,  and  in  the  exuberance  of  his 
spirits  he  turned  several  handsprings  on  the  grass. 

"You  bet  we'll  celebrate !"  exclaimed  his  cousin 
Fred. 

"Say !  we  ought  to  shoot  off  the  old  cannon  for 
this,"  burst  out  Andy  Rover.  He  referred  to  an 
ancient  fieldpiece  located  on  the  front  lawn  of 
the  school. 

"Too  dangerous,"  interposed  his  cousin  Jack. 
"That  old  cannon  is  too  rusty,  and  it  would  fly 
into  a  million  pieces." 

"Yes,  but  we  might- " 


16          THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

Boom! 

It  was  a  loud  explosion  coming  from  a  consid 
erable  distance.  The  cadets,  as  well  as  all  the 
others  gathered  on  the  ball  field,  looked  at  each 
other  in  surprise. 

"What  could  that  have  been?"  questioned  Fred 
Rover. 

"Sounds  like  a  big  cannon  going  off,"  answered 
Walt  Baxter. 

Boom!    Boom! 

Two  more  explosions  rent  the  air,  both  much 
louder  than  the  first.  The  very  ground  seemed 
to  be  shaken  by  the  concussion. 

"Say,  that  sounds  like  a  warship !" 

"No  warships  around  here,"  was  the  answer. 

"Maybe  it's  a  German  Zeppelin!" 

"Gee !  do  you  suppose  the  Germans  have  come 
over  here  to  bombard  us  ?" 

Boom!    Boom!    Boom! 

Several  more  explosions  came  now  close  upon 
the  others,  each  explosion  heavier  than  those 
which  had  gone  before.  The  ground  all  around 
seemed  to  tremble,  and  those  who  were  still  in 
the  grandstand  cried  out  in  alarm. 

"The  grandstand  is  going  down!  Everybody 
jump  for  his  life!" 

"Look !  Look !"  was  the  sudden  cry  from  Jack 
RoTer,  and  he  pointed  to  a  place  on  the  opposite 


ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS        17 

shore  of  Clearwater  Lake.  A  dense  volume  of 
smoke  was  rolling  skyward.  Then  came  another 
tremendous  explosion,  and  a  mass  of  wreckage 
could  be  seen  to  be  lifted  skyward. 

"It's  the  Hasley  ammunition  factory  going 
up!"  cried  Fred  Rover.  "What  an  awful  thing 
to  happen!" 

"That  factory  is  right  across  the  lake  from  our 
school!"  cried  Martha  Rover.  "I  wonder  if  it 
will  damage  that  place  any?" 

"I  shouldn't  be  surprised,"  answered  her  cousin 
Andy.  And  then  he  added  quickly :  "I  hope  Mary 
will  be  safe." 

"Oh,  oh!  do  you  think  Mary  is  in  danger?" 
cried  Ruth  Stevenson,  who  had  just  joined  the 
others.  Mary  was  Fred  Rover's  sister,  who  had 
been  left  behind  at  the  girls'  boarding  school  be 
cause  she  had  been  suffering  that  day  with  a 
severe  headache,  and  had  said  she  preferred  rest 
ing  to  attending  the  ball  game,  even  though  she 
loved  to  be  with  the  others. 

"There  goes  another  building!"  yelled  Andy 
Rover,  as  another  report  rent  the  air.  Then 
those  who  were  looking  down  the  river  and 
across  the  lake  saw  some  strange  objects  being 
hurled  through  the  sky  in  the  direction  of  Clear- 
water  Hall. 

"If  that  whole  ammunition  factory  starts  to 


18    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

go  up,  it  will  certainly  mean  damage  to  the  board 
ing  school,"  declared  Jack.  "I  guess  the  best  we 
can  do  is  to  get  down  there  and  see  if  Mary  is 
safe." 

"That's  just  what  I  say!"  declared  Fred.  "I'm 
going  to  get  down  there  just  as  fast  as  I  can.*' 
And  he  ran  off,  to  board  one  of  the  automobiles 
headed  in  that  direction. 

Now,  I  know  it  will  not  be  at  all  necessary  to 
introduce  the  Rover  boys  or  their  friends  to  my 
old  readers,  but  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  have 
not  perused  any  of  my  former  stories  a  few 
words  concerning  these  characters  will  be  neces 
sary.  In  the  first  volume,  entitled  "The  Rover 
Boys  at  School,"  I  told  how  three  brothers, 
Dick,  Tom,  and  Sam  Rover,  were  sent  off  to 
Putnam  Hall  Military  Academy,  where  they  made 
a  great  number  of  friends,  including  a  youth 
named  Lawrence  Colby.  From  Putnam  Hall  the 
lads  went  to  Brill  College,  and  on  leaving  that 
institution  of  learning  went  into  business  in  New 
York  City  with  offices  on  Wall  Street.  They 
organized  The  Rover  Company,  of  which  Dick 
was  now  president,  Tom  secretary  and  general 
manager,  and  Sam  treasurer. 

While  at  Putnam  Hall  the  three  Rovers  had 
become  acquainted  with  three  very  charming 
girls,  Dora  Stanhope  and  her  two  cousins,  Nellie 


ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS        19 

and  Grace  Laning,  and  when  Dick  went  into  busi 
ness  he  made  Dora  Stanhope  his  lifelong  partner. 
A  short  time  later  Tom  married  Nellie  Laning 
and  Sam  married  Grace. 

The  three  brothers  purchased  a  fine  plot  of 
ground  on  Riverside  Drive  overlooking  the  noble 
Hudson  River,  and  there  they  built  three  con 
necting  houses,  Dick  and  his  family  living  in  the 
middle  house,  with  Tom  on  one  side  and  Sam  on 
the  other. 

About  a  year  after  their  marriage  Dick  and 
his  wife  became  the  proud  parents  of  a  little  son, 
who  was  named  John  after  Mr.  Laning.  This 
son  was  followed  by  a  daughter,  called  Martha 
after  her  great-aunt  Martha  of  Valley  Brook 
Farm,  where  the  older  Rovers  had  spent  many 
of  their  younger  days.  Little  Jack,  as  he  was 
commonly  called,  was  a  manly  lad  with  many  oi 
the  qualities  which  had  made  his  father  so  well 
liked  and  so  successful. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Tom  and  Nellie 
Rover  came  to  the  front  with  a  surprise  for  ail 
of  the  others.  This  was  in  the  shape  of  a  pair 
of  very  lively  twins,  one  of  whom  was  named 
Anderson,  after  his  grandfather,  and  the  other, 
Randolph,  after  his  great-uncle  Randolph  of  Val 
ley  Brook  Farm.  Andy  and  Randy,  as  they  were 
always  called,  were  very  active  lads,  in  that  par- 


20    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

ticular  being  a  second  edition  of  their  father. 

About  the  time  Tom's  twins  were  born  Sam 
and  Grace  Rover  came  along  with  a  beautiful 
little  girl,  whom  they  named  Mary  after  Mrs. 
Laning.  Then,  a  year  later,  the  girl  was  fol 
lowed  by  a  sturdy  boy,  christened  Fred  after 
Sam  Rover's  old  and  well-known  school  chum, 
Fred  Garrison. 

Residing  so  close  together,  the  younger  gen 
eration  of  Rover  boys,  as  well  as  their  sisters, 
were  brought  up  very  much  like  one  family. 
They  spent  their  winters  usually  in  New  York 
City,  and  during  the  summer  often  went  out  to 
Valley  Brook  Farm,  where  their  grandfather,  An 
derson  Rover,  still  resided  with  Uncle  Randolph 
and  Aunt  Martha. 

At  first  the  boys  and  girls  had  been  sent  to 
private  schools  in  the  Metropolis;  but  soon  the 
lads,  led  by  Andy  and  Randy,  showed  such  a  pro 
pensity  for  "cutting  loose"  that  their  parents  were 
compelled  to  hold  a  consultation. 

"We'll  have  to  do  as  Uncle  Randolph  did  with 
us,"  said  Dick  Rover.  "We'll  have  to  send 
them  to  some  strict  boarding  school — some  mili 
tary  academy."  And  to  this  the  others  had 
agreed. 

Some  time  previous  their  old  school  chum, 
Lawrence  Colby,  who  had  since  become  a  colonel 


ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS       21 

in  the  state  militia,  had  opened  a  military  acad 
emy,  called  Colby  Hall. 

"We'll  send  them  to  that  place,"  was  the  de 
cision  of  the  older  Rovers.  "Lawrence  Colby  is 
just  the  fellow  to  make  them  behave  themselves, 
and  as  we  are  such  good  friends  he  will  be  sure 
to  give  them  extra  attention." 

So  the  boys  were  sent  off  to  this  school,  as  re 
lated  in  detail  in  the  first  volume  of  my  second 
series,  entitled  "The  Rover  Boys  at  Colby 
Hall."  This  military  school  was  located  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  town  of  Haven  Point  on 
Clearwater  Lake,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water  about 
two  miles  long  and  nearly  half  a  mile  wide.  At 
the  head  of  the  lake  was  the  Rick  Rack  River, 
running  down  from  the  hills  and  woods  beyond. 

The  school  consisted  of  a  large  stone  building, 
facing  the  river  at  a  point  not  far  from  where  the 
stream  emptied  into  the  lake.  It  was  a  three- 
storied  structure,  and  contained  the  classrooms 
and  a  mess  hall  and  also  the  dormitories  and 
private  rooms  for  the  scholars.  Close  by  was  a 
smaller  brick  building,  occupied  by  Colonel  Colby 
and  his  family  and  some  of  the  professors. 

On  the  opposite  side  was  an  up-to-date  gym 
nasium,  while  at  the  water's  edge  were  a  number 
of  small  buildings  used  as  boathouses  and  bath 
ing  pavilions.  Behind  the  hall  were  a  stable  and 


22          THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

barn,  and  also  a  garage,  and  further  back  were  a 
large  garden  and  several  farm  fields  and  a  great 
athletic  field  where  the  boys  played  baseball  in 
the  spring  and  football  in  the  fall. 

On  arriving  at  Colby  Hall  the  young  Rovers 
had  found  several  of  their  friends  awaiting  them, 
one  of  these  being  Dick  Powell,  the  son  of  Song 
bird  Powell,  a  former  schoolmate  of  their  fath 
ers.  Dick  was  always  called  Spouter  because  of 
his  fondness  for  long  speeches.  Another  was  Gif" 
ford,  the  son  of  Fred  Garrison,  after  whom  Fred 
Rover  had  been  named.  There  was  also  Walter 
Baxter,  a  son  of  Dan  Baxter,  who  years  before 
had  been  an  enemy  of  the  older  Rovers,  but  who 
had  now  reformed  and  was  doing  very  well. 

Before  coming  to  Colby  Hall,  Jack  Rover  had 
had  a  quarrel  in  New  York  City  with  a  tall, 
dudish  youth,  named  Napoleon  Martell.  Nappy 
Martell,  as  he  was  called  by  his  cronies,  was  a 
cadet  at  the  military  academy,  and  he  and  his 
crony,  an  overgrown  bully  named  Slugger  Brown, 
did  what  they  could  to  make  trouble  for  the  Rov 
ers.  But  one  of  their  underhanded  transactions 
•was  exposed,  and  they  were  sent  away  from  the 
academy  for  the  time  being. 

As  mentioned,  Colby  Hall  was  located  about 
half  a  mile  beyond  Haven  Point.  On  the  oppo 
site  side  of  the  town  was  located  Clearwater  Hall, 


ABOUT  THE  ROVER  BOYS       23 

a  boarding  school  for  girls.  During  a  panic  in  a 
moving-picture  theater  Jack  and  his  cousins  be 
came  acquainted  with  a  number  of  these  girls,  in 
cluding  Ruth  Stevenson,  May  Powell,  Alice  Stro- 
bell,  and  Annie  Larkins.  They  found  out  that 
May  was  Spouter  Powell's  cousin,  and  the  whole 
crowd  of  young  people  soon  became  friends. 
Later  on  Mary  and  Martha  Rover  became  pupils 
at  the  girls'  school. 

Ruth  Stevenson  had  an  old  uncle  Barney,  who 
in  times  past  had  had  a  bitter  quarrel  with  Ruth's 
parents.  The  Rover  boys  once  went  out  hunting, 
and  on  this  occasion  saved  the  old  man's  life,  as 
related  in  "The  Rover  Boys  on  Snowshoe  Is 
land."  For  this  the  old  man  was  exceedingly 
grateful,  and  as  a  result  he  invited  them  to  spend 
their  winter  holidays  on  Snowshoe  Island,  a  place 
which  he  said  he  owned  and  of  which  he  was 
very  proud. 

The*  boys  traveled  to  this  island  and  had  many 
adventures  while  hunting  and  otherwise.  They 
found  out  that  the  father  of  Slogwell  Brown,  al 
ways  called  Slugger  by  his  comrades,  was  laying 
claim  to  the  island.  This  man,  backed  up  by  Asa 
Lemm,  a  discharged  teacher  of  Colby  Hall,  and 
backed  up  likewise  by  his  son  Slugger  and  Nappy 
Martell,  did  all  he  could  to  take  possession  of  the 
property.  But  the  Rover  boys  exposed  the  plot, 


24    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

and  held  the  rascals  at  bay,  and  in  the  end  old 
Barney  Stevenson's  claim  to  the  land  was  made 
safe.  During  the  time  on  the  island  Slugger 
Brown  and  Nappy  Martell  had  stolen  a  tin  box 
containing  some  valuable  papers  from  the  old 
man,  and  for  this  they  had  at  first  been  threatened 
with  arrest,  but  had  been  allowed  to  go  when 
Slugger's  father  gave  up  his  claim  to  the  place. 

"You  think  you're  smart,  don't  you?"  Slugger 
Brown  had  grumbled  to  Jack  when  he  was  ready 
to  depart  from  Snowshoe  Island.  "You  just 
wait,  Jack  Rover!  I'm  not  going  to  forget  you 
and  your  cousins  in  a  hurry!" 

"And  I  won't  forget  you  either,"  Nappy  Mar- 
tell  had  added.  "We'll  get  even  with  you  when 
you  least  expect  it." 

But  for  quite  a  while  now  none  of  the  Rovers 
had  seen  or  heard  anything  more  of  Slugger 
Brown  and  Nappy  Martell.  But  they  were  des 
tined  to  hear  more  from  these  two  unworthies, 
and  in  a  most  unusual  fashion. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  AMMUNITION    FACTORY   EXPLOSIONS 

"On,  I  do  hope  Mary  is  safe!"  cried  Martha 
Rover,  as  she  and  the  others  ran  toward  where 
the  automobiles  which  had  brought  them  over  to 
Colby  Hall  from  the  girls'  boarding  school  were 
standing. 

"So  far  those  explosions  haven't  reached  Clear- 
water  Hall,"  answered  her  brother  Jack.  "But 
there  is  no  telling  what  a  real  heavy  explosion 
may  do." 

"That's  just  it!"  burst  out  his  cousin  Randy. 
"For  all  we  know,  those  Hasley  people  may  have 
a  large  quantity  of  TNT  or  some  other  high  ex 
plosive  stored  there,  and  if  that  should  go  up — 
good-night  I" 

"It  would  be  fierce!" 

"I  think  it's  awful  to  allow  those  ammunition 
people  to  have  their  works  so  close  to  a  town,** 
was  Ruth  Stevenson's  comment. 

Boom!    Boom! 

Two  more  explosions  rent  the  air.  Then  fol- 
25 


2<5          THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

lowed  a  series  of  poppings  like  the  discharge  of 
a  machine  gun. 

"Those  must  be  some  of  the  small  shells  going 
off,"  said  Andy.  "Gosh,  what  a  shame  they 
couldn't  have  held  this  back  until  the  Fourth  of 
July!"  he  added.  Andy  would  probably  have 
wanted  to  joke  at  his  own  funeral. 

The  Rovers  and  their  girl  friends  were  soon 
seated  in  the  automobiles  which  they  had  used 
earlier  in  the  day  to  bring  the  girls  to  Colby  Hall. 
With  them  went  as  many  of  the  other  cadets  and 
their  friends  as  could  pile  into  the  machines  or 
hang  fast  to  the  running  boards.  All  of  the  ball 
players  went  in  their  baseball  outfits,  not  taking 
time  to  change  to  their  uniforms. 

The  Rovers  and  their  friends  were  among  the 
first  to  leave  the  military  institution,  and  for  this 
reason  they  got  away  without  any  trouble.  They 
had  scarcely  departed  when  Captain  Mapes  Dale, 
the  military  instructor  attached  to  the  school,  ap 
peared  and  forbade  any  more  of  the  cadets  to 
leave  the  grounds. 

"There  is  no  telling  how  dangerous  those  ex 
plosions  may  become,"  said  Captain  Dale,  "and 
Colonel  Colby  thinks  it  is  best  that  you  remain 
here  where  it  is  comparatively  safe.  Even  as  it 
is,  we  may  have  some  big  shells  coming  this  way." 

The  Hasley  Shell  Loading  Company  had  been 


THE  AMMUNITION  FACTORY  EXPLOSIONS    27 

located  on  the  opposite  shore  of  Clearwater  Lake 
for  a  number  of  years  previous  to  the  opening  of 
the  war  in  Europe.  But  at  that  time  it  had  been 
only  a  small  concern,  employing  but  a  handful  of 
men.  A  year  after  the  opening  of  hostilities, 
however,  the  plant  had  been  enlarged,  and  now, 
since  the  entrance  of  the  United  States  into  the 
war,  the  force  of  workmen  had  been  again 
doubled  and  many  additional  buildings  had  been 
erected,  some  along  the  lake  front  and  others  in 
the  hills  further  back.  A  spur  of  the  railroad 
had  also  been  built  to  the  plant,  and  on  this  were 
numerous  cars,  all  painted  to  show  the  dangerous 
aature  of  the  freight  they  were  destined  to  carry. 

On  two  different  occasions  the  Rover  boys  and 
their  chums  had  rowed  over  to  the  vicinity  of 
the  shell-loading  works  to  look  at  what  was  going 
on.  Guards  around  the  works,  however,  had  kept 
them  from  landing  or  even  getting  within  a  rea 
sonable  distance  of  the  place.  This,  they  knew, 
was  done  because  the  authorities  feared  that  some 
spies  might  try  to  get  into  the  buildings  with  a 
view  to  blowing  them  up. 

"Gee,  that  certainly  sounds  like  war!"  cried 
Andy,  as  the  explosions  continued.  There  was 
a  continual  popping  of  small  shells,  punctured 
every  now  and  then  by  a  decidedly  heavier  ex 
plosion. 


28    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"My1  gracious !  Look  at  that !"  burst  out  Jack 
a  moment  later. 

What  the  oldest  Rover  boy  referred  to  was  a 
curious  explosion  of  a  quantity  of  shells  which 
seemed  to  go  up  in  the  form  of  an  immense  sheaf 
of  wheat.  Thousands  of  small  objects  filled  the 
air,  flying  off  in  all  directions  of  the  compass. 

"I'll  bet  we'll  get  some  of  those  over  here!" 
exclaimed  Gif  Garrison,  who  was  clinging  to  the 
running  board  of  the  machine. 

And  he  was  right.  Only  a  few  seconds  later 
several  small  bits  of  metal  came  down  around 
them,  two  striking  the  hood  of  the  automobile  and 
one  falling  into  the  tonneau  on  Ruth's  lap. 

It  did  not  take  those  in  the  automobile  long  to 
cover  the  half  mile  which  lay  between  them  and 
Haven  Point,  where  the  railroad  station  was  lo 
cated.  Here  they  found  the  town  people  in  great 
excitement,  and  learned  that  steps  were  already 
being  taken  to  care  for  any  of  the  workmen  who 
might  be  injured  by  the  explosions. 

"Of  course  we  have  no  idea  yet  how  many  peo 
ple  have  been  killed  or  wounded,"  declared  a 
policeman  who  gave  the  cadets  this  information. 
"We  are  all  upset  because  we  don't  know  how 
bad  the  explosions  may  get.  If  they  don't  get 
any  worse  than  they  have  been,  we'll  be  thank 
ful." 


THE  AMMUNITION  FACTORY  EXPLOSIONS    29 

The  cadets  and  their  girl  friends  did  not  re 
main  long  in  Haven  Point.  All  were  anxious  to 
get  to  Clearwater  Hall,  to  learn  if  that  place  was 
much  damaged.  The  girls'  school  was  directly 
opposite  the  shell-loading  plant,  and  consequently 
more  liable  to  suffer  than  the  town  or  Colby  Hall. 

"Look  at  them  getting  away  from  that  place, 
will  you?"  cried  Fred,  who  had  come  as  far  as 
Haven  Point  on  another  automobile  and  then  had 
rejoined  his  cousins.  He  pointed  to  the  lake, 
where  a  number  of  rowboats  and  other  craft 
were  leaving  the  vicinity  of  the  explosions. 

"You  can't  blame  them  for  wanting  to  get 
away,"  returned  Jack.  "It  may  mean  life  or  death 
to  them." 

"Oh,  I  hope  nobody  has  been  killed !"  murmur 
ed  Ruth. 

"I'm  afraid,  Ruth,  that's  too  much  to  expect," 
answered  Jack  soberly. 

"Oh,  I  just  think  war  is  too  horrible  for 
anything!"  cried  out  Alice  Strobell,  who  was 
along. 

"I  just  wish  they  could  sink  all  those  Germans 
in  their  old  submarines !"  declared  Annie  Larkins 
who  was  also  in  the  crowd. 

"I  guess  we'd  all  be  willing  to  subscribe  to 
that!"  cried  Randy. 

"You  just  wait  until  Uncle  Sam  gets  into  this 


30     THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

scrap,"  declared  Jack.  "We'll  show  'em  what's 
what!" 

"How  I  wish  I  could  go  to  the  front/*  said 
Andy  wistfully.  "It  would  beat  going  to  school 
all  hollow." 

"Now  that  we've  gone  into  the  war,  we'll  have 
an  army  over  there  before  long,"  said  Spouter. 
"I  suppose  they'll  send  some  of  the  regulars  over 
first,  and  then  some  of  the  national  guard — of 
course  taken  into  the  regular  army — and  after 
that  we'll  have  the  volunteers.  I  suppose  if  Uncle 
Sam  really  wanted  to  do  it,  he  could  get  together 
several  million  men  without  half  trying.  And 
with  an  army  like  that,  properly  trained  and 
equipped,  and  transported  to  the  battlefields  of 
Europe,  we  shall  be  sure  to  make  a  showing  which 
will  throw  terror  into  the  hearts  of " 

"Hurrah!  Spouter  is  off  again,"  broke  in 
Randy. 

"Say,  Spout!  they  ought  to  send  you  to  the 
front  to  help  talk  the  Huns  to  death,"  put  in 
Andy.  "Talk  about  gas  and  gas  masks " 

"Aw  say!  you're  always  butting  in  when  I've 
got  something  to  say,"  growled  the  lad  who  loved 
to  talk. 

There  might  have  been  a  little  friction  right 
then  and  there,  but  another  explosion  came  from 
across  Clearwater  Lake,  and  all  stopped  to  gaze 


THE  AMMUNITION  FACTORY  EXPLOSIONS     31 

at  the  thick  volume  of  yellowish-black  smoke 
which  rolled  directly  toward  them. 

"The  wind  must  be  shifting,"  declared  Jack, 
for  all  of  the  smoke  heretofore  had  rolled  up  the 
lake  shore. 

"It's  too  bad  it  is  coming  this  way,"  said  Ruth. 
"Miss  Garwood  declares  that  a  good  deal  of 
smoke  from  such  shells  is  poisonous."  Miss  Gar- 
wood  was  the  head  of  the  school  for  girls,  and 
likewise  an  authority  in  chemistry. 

The  road  was  filled  with  automobiles  going 
and  coming,  and  Randy  had  all  he  could  do  to 
send  the  machine  along  without  getting  into  some 
sort  of  collision.  The  heavy  smoke  continued  to 
roll  across  the  lake,  and  soon  they  were  in  the 
midst  of  this.  It  had  a  curious  pungent  odor  to 
it,  which  set  them  to  sneezing  and  coughing. 

"No  fun  in  this,  I  must  say,"  declared  Jack. 
The  girls  all  had  their  handkerchiefs  to  their 
faces,  and  May  Powell  looked  as  if  she  was  get 
ting  sick. 

In  a  minute  n  ore  they  came  within  sight  of 
Clearwater  Hall,  c  large  structure  setting  back  in 
well-kept  grounds.  There  were  numerous  bushes 
and  flowers  and  quite  a  number  of  fair-sized 
trees. 

Several  automobiles  had  reached  the  school 
ahead  of  them  so  the  scene  was  one  of  animation. 


32    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

Town  people,  as  well  as  scholars  from  the  Hix- 
ley  High  School,  mingled  with  the  cadets  and  the 
girls  from  Clearwater  Hall. 

"Go  on  in  and  find  Mary,"  said  Jack  to  his 
sister.  "Tell  her  we  are  here  to  help  her  in  case 
anything  happens." 

Martha  rushed  off,  followed  by  Ruth,  and  the 
two  soon  located  Fred's  sister.  She  was  in  a  rear 
room  of  the  school,  along  with  a  number  of  the 
other  pupils  and  one  of  the  assistant  teachers. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  glad  you've  come !"  declared  Mary 
Rover.  "What  a  dreadful  thing  this  is  getting  to 
be!" 

"I  suppose  it  has  made  your  head  ache  worse 
than  ever,"  said  Martha  sympathetically. 

"No,  strange  to  say,  it's  just  the  other  way 
around,"  declared  Fred's  sister,  with  a  faint 
smile.  "Those  explosions  seemed  to  have  shocked 
the  headache  all  away." 

Mary  was  glad  to  join  the  others,  and  the  Rov 
ers  and  their  friends  proceeded  to  one  of  the  re 
ception  rooms  of  the  school.  In  the  meantime  the 
explosions  across  the  lake  continued,  but  seemed 
to  be  gradually  dying  down. 

"It  looks  to  me  as  if  the  worst  was  over,"  re 
marked  Fred,  after  there  had  been  comparative 
silence  for  fully  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

"Say,  I'm  going  down  to  the  lake  front  to  see 


THE  AMMUNITION  FACTORY  EXPLOSIONS     33 

what's  doing,"  declared  Randy,  a  little  later. 
"Perhaps  we  can  be  of  some  assistance." 

"That's  the  talk !  We  can't  do  anything  more 
here,"  returned  his  twin. 

"Let's  all  go  down!"  cried  Jack.  "We  ought 
to  be  able  to  do  something  for  those  poor  work 
men  who  have  been  hurt."  And  then,  turning  to 
Ruth,  he  continued:  "If  there  are  any  more  big 
explosions  and  this  place  seems  to  be  in  danger, 
we'll  be  back." 

"Oh,  Jack!  I  don't  want  you  to  run  into  any 
danger  down  at  the  lake  shore,"  said  the  girl, 
looking  at  him  pleadingly  with  her  big  brown 
eyes. 

"I  guess  we'll  be  able  to  take  care  of  our 
selves,"  he  answered  lightly.  But  it  pleased  him 
a  great  deal  to  have  Ruth  so  full  of  consideration 
for  him. 

Leaving  their  automobiles  in  the  school 
grounds,  the  Rovers  and  their  chums  left  the 
place,  crossed  the  highway,  and  followed  the  foot 
path  leading  down  to  the  Clearwater  Hall  boat- 
house.  Here  they  found  only  a  few  people  con 
gregated,  the  heavy-rolling  clouds  of  smoke  keep 
ing  a  good  many  away. 

"Not  very  pleasant  here,"  was  Gif  Garrison's 
comment,  after  the  smoke  had  made  him  cough. 
"I  don't  think  I'm  going  to  stay." 


34          THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Neither  am  I,"  said  Spouter.  And  presently 
he  and  quite  a  few  others  left,  leaving  the  four 
Rovers  to  themselves. 

"You  know  what  I've  got  an  idea  of  doing?" 
declared  Jack.  "Why  not  get  out  one  of  the 
Clearwater  Hall  boats  and  row  over  a  little  closer 
to  that  place?  We  may  be  able  to  be  of  some  as 
sistance  to  some  of  the  workmen." 

The  others  were  willing,  and  soon  a  large  row- 
boat  was  brought  out,  with  two  pairs  of  oars,  and 
the  four  Rovers  manned  it  and  sent  it  well  out 
into  the  lake. 

"We've  got  to  keep  our  eyes  open  in  this 
smoke,"  declared  Jack.  "It's  worse  than  a  fog." 

"You're  right  there,"  returned  Randy.  "If 
some  of  those  poor  chaps " 

Boom! 

Another  terrific  explosion  cut  short  what  he 
was  saying.  The  very  water  under  the  rowboat 
seemed  to  shake,  and  the  air  presently  was  filled 
with  flying  missiles  dropping  all  around  them. 
Then,  as  Andy  stood  up  in  an  endeavor  to  g^t  a 
better  view  of  the  situation,  something  came  fly 
ing  through  the  air,  hit  him  on  the  shoulder, 
hurled  him  overboard! 


CHAPTER  IV 

A   RESCUE   ON   THE   LAKE 

"ANDY'S  overboard !" 

"Grab  him,  somebody !" 

"Wow!  what  is  this  anyway — a  bombard 
ment?" 

Such  were  the  cries  coming  from  the  three 
Rovers  when  they  saw  the  luckless  Andy  lose  his 
balance  and  go  over  into  the  lake  with  a  splash. 

"It's  fire  coming  down !  We've  got  to  get  out 
of  this !"  cried  Fred,  a  few  seconds  later. 

The  youngest  of  the  Rovers  was  right.  It  was 
indeed  a  rain  of  fire  that  had  suddenly  descended 
upon  them  through  the  pall  of  yellowish-black 
smoke.  It  was  falling  into  the  boat  and  on  their 
persons.  Where  it  struck  the  lake  it  sent  out  a 
curious  hissing  sound. 

"Come — let  us  get  Andy  aboard  again  and  row 
out  of  this  as  quickly  as  possible!"  gasped  Jack. 

Andy  had  disappeared  from  view,  but  only  for 
a  few  seconds.  He  came  up,  thrashing  around 
wildly,  for  he  had  been  almost  stunned  by  the 

35 


36    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

thing  which  had  struck  him,  a  block  of  wood  car 
ried  up  from  the  ammunition  plant  by  one  of  the 
explosions. 

"Steady,  Andy,  steady!  We'll  save  you!" 
called  out  his  twin,  and  as  Fred  and  Jack  sent  the 
rowboat  in  the  luckless  one's  direction,  Randy 
bent  over  and  grabbed  his  brother  by  the  hand. 
Then,  taking  care  that  the  craft  should  not  tip 
over,  Fred  and  Randy  pulled  Andy  aboard. 

"Are  you  much  hurt?"  questioned  Randy 
anxiously. 

"I — I  don't  know,"  was  the  gasped-out  reply. 
"I — I  don't  think  so,  though.  What  did  you 
slam  me  in  the  back  for?"  Andy  demanded  of 
Jack,  who  had  been  behind  him. 

"I  didn't  hit  you.  It  was  a  block  of  wood 
which  came  sailing  over  from  the  ammunition 
factory,"  was  the  quick  reply.  "Come  on — we've 
got  to  get  out  of  here,  or  the  first  thing  you  know 
we'll  be  on  fire." 

"Better  wet  your  clothing,"  said  Andy.  "It 
may  help  a  whole  lot." 

This  was  good  advice,  and  the  others  lost  no 
time  in  filling  their  baseball  caps  with  water, 
which  they  sprinkled  over  their  shoulders  and 
the  other  portions  of  their  baseball  outfits.  They 
also  wet  down  the  bow  and  stern  seats  of  the  row- 
boat.  Then  they  grabbed  up  their  oars  and  com- 


A  RESCUE  ON  THE  LAKE  37 

menced  to  row  up  the  lake,  trying  to  get  out  of 
the  range  of  both  the  fire  and  the  smoke. 

"Here  is  what  the  fire  consists  of,"  declared 
Fred  presently,  when  he  caught  a  whisp  of  it  on 
his  arm.  "It's  nothing  but  oil-soaked  waste. 
They  must  have  had  a  whole  lot  of  it  at  that  plant, 
and  one  of  the  explosions  sent  it  high  into  the  air 
and  scattered  it  in  every  direction." 

The  boys  continued  on  their  way  for  a  few 
minutes,  and  then  ran  into  another  cloud  of 
smoke.  This  was  of  a  peculiar  bluish-green  cast, 
and  seemed  so  sulphurous  they  were  nearly 
choked  by  it. 

"Listen!"  burst  out  Andy.  "I  think  I  heard 
somebody  calling." 

He  held  up  one  hand  for  silence,  and  all  lis 
tened  attentively.  In  spite  of  the  roaring  of  the 
flames,  which  were  now  devouring  several  of  the 
buildings  at  the  shell-loading  plant,  and  the  con 
tinual  popping  of  some  of  the  smaller  shells,  all 
heard  a  frantic  cry  for  assistance. 

"It's  somebody  calling  for  help!" 

"Where  is  he?" 

"I  think  the  cry  came  from  over  yonder,"  said 
Jack,  in  answer  to  the  latter  question.  "Let's 
pull  over  there  and  see." 

All  were  willing,  and  the  four  once  more  bent 
to  their  oars,  sending  the  rowboat  through  the 


38    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

bAiish-green  smoke,  which  almost  choked  and 
blinded  them. 

"Herfo  *here !"  yelled  Fred.    "Where  are  you  ?" 

"Help  \  Help !"  came  the  cry  from  off  to  their 
left.  "Help!  Save  me!" 

The  rowboat  was  turned  in  that  direction,  and 
a  few  seconds  later  the  Rover  boys  caught  sight 
through  the  smoke  o;?  a  water-logged  rowboat  to 
which  an  elderly  man,  dressed  in  the  garb  of  a 
workman,  was  clinging.  * 

"Help  me!  Help  me!  I  can't  hang  on  much 
longer!"  gasped  the  man,  as  soon  as  he  saw  the 
boys. 

"Sure,  we'll  help  you,"  declared  Jack.  "Go 
slow  now,"  he  cautioned  his  cousins.  "We  don't 
want  to  knock  him  off  into  the  water." 

With  care  the  rowboat  was  brought  around  so 
that  they  came  up  alongside  of  the  elderly  man. 
He  was  glad  enough  to  turn  from  his  water 
logged  craft  to  the  other  boat.  But  he  was  well- 
nigh  exhausted,  and  the  Rovers  had  not  a  little 
trouble  in  getting  him  on  board. 

"Tell  you  what — I'm  mighty  glad  you  lads 
came  along,"  panted  the  old  man,  when  he  was 
safe.  "I  couldn't  have  held  out  much  longer. 
This  is  something  terrible,  ain't  it?  Say,  would 
you  mind  hooking  that  boat  fast  and  pulling  it 
to  shore  ?  It  belongs  to  me,  and  I  ain't  so  wealthy 


A  RESCUE  ON  THE  LAKE  39 

that  I  can  afford  to  lose  it.  Besides,  it's  got  some 
of  my  things  in  it." 

"We'll  take  it  along  unless  it  keeps  us  back  too 
much,"  answered  Jack.  And  then  he  bent  down, 
got  hold  of  the  bowline  of  the  craft,  and  tied  it 
fast  to  their  stern.  Fortunately  the  other  boat 
was  a  small  one,  so  they  had  not  much  difficulty 
in  towing  it  along. 

"I'm  a  dockman  over  at  the  ammunition  fac 
tory,"  explained  the  old  man.  "And  when  things 
began  to  go  off  I  thought  it  was  high  time  to  get 
out.  I  tried  to  save  a  few  of  my  things  and 
dumped  'em  into  my  boat  and  began  to  pull  for 
the  shore.  But  then  one  of  the  big  explosions 
went  off,  and  I  got  caught  in  a  lot  of  smoke  and 
a  rain  of  I  don't  know  what,  and  was  nearly  ren 
dered  senseless.  When  I  came  to,  I  had  drifted 
along  to  near  where  you  found  me.  Something 
must  have  hit  the  boat  and  gone  through  the  bot 
tom,  for  she  was  filling  with  water  fast.  Then 
she  tipped,  and  I  went  overboard.  I  can't  swim 
very  well,  and  that  confounded  smoke  got  in  my 
lungs,  and  I  thought  sure  I  would  be  a  goner. 
You  boys  certainly  came  in  the  nick  of  time." 

"And  we  are  glad  of  it,"  declared  Fred,  and 
the  others  nodded  in  approval. 

The  elderly  man  said  that  his  name  was  Jed 
Kessler,  and  that  he  lived  on  the  outskirts  of 


40    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

Haven  Point.  He  knew  very  little  about  Colby 
Hall,  however,  for  previous  to  being  employed 
by  the  Hasley  Shell  Loading  Company  he  had 
worked  around  the  docks  at  Hixley,  at  one  end 
of  the  lake.  So  much  the  boys  learned  from  him 
when  they  had  rowed  out  of  the  pall  of  smoke 
and  the  rain  of  fire  and  could  breathe  freely  and 
in  comfort. 

"Have  you  any  idea  what  started  that  fire?" 
questioned  Jack,  when  they  were  headed  for  one 
of  the  docks  at  Haven  Point. 

"I've  got  my  idea,  yes.  But  I  don't  know 
whether  it's  correct  or  not,"  replied  Jed  Kessler. 
"Of  course,  any  kind  of  a  slight  accident  in  a 
place  like  that  might  set  things  to  going.  But  I 
know  one  thing,  and  that  is  very  important,  I 
think." 

"What  is  that?"  questioned  Randy. 

"The  first  explosion  took  place  down  the  rail 
road  track,  in  one  of  the  cars  loaded  with  shells, 
while  the  second  explosion,  which  came  less  than 
half  a  minute  later,  occurred  in  one  of  the  sup 
ply  houses." 

"Was  the  supply  house  near  the  car  where  the 
first  explosion  happened?"  queried  Jack. 

"No.  The  two  places  are  at  least  five  hundred 
feet  apart." 

"In  that  case,  it  isn't  likely  that  the  first  ex- 


A  RESCUE  ON  THE  LAKE  41 

plosion  brought  on  the  second,  is  it?"  questioned 
Andy. 

"It  didn't!"  was  the  prompt  answer.  "Those 
two  explosions  had  nothing  to  do  with  each  other 
— except  in  one  way, — and  that  is  that  they  were 
both  started  by  the  same  person  or  persons,"  de 
clared  Jed  Kessler  emphatically. 

"Gee !  do  you  suppose  there  were  German  spies 
around?"  ejaculated  Randy. 

"I  am  sure  there  were,"  went  on  the  old  dock- 
man. 

"But  I  supposed  your  guards  kept  all  strangers 
away  from  the  plant,"  said  Jack. 

"They  were  supposed  to.  But  you  know  how 
it  is.  Those  fellows  aren't  on  the  watch  all  the 
time.  They  get  tired  of  their  job,  and  sometimes 
they  take  it  easy.  Besides  that,  it  is  rather  easy 
to  reach  the  plant  from  the  water  front,  and  it  is 
almost  equally  easy  to  come  down  through  the 
woods  on  the  hill  behind  the  place.  Of  course, 
we've  got  a  big  wire  fence  up  all  around,  but  it 
doesn't  take  much  to  go  through  that  if  a  fellow 
has  a  good  pair  of  wire  cutters." 

"Did  you  ever  see  anybody  suspicious?" 

"Lots  of  times.  But,  of  course,  most  of  the 
people  who  looked  suspicious  proved  to  be  noth 
ing  bat  men  who  had  an  idle  curiosity  regarding 
the  plant  But  I  saw  some  fellows  around  there 


42    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

two  weeks  ago  and  again  a  couple  of  days  ago, 
and  they  looked  mighty  suspicious  to  me.  They 
were  a  couple  of  heavy-set  looking  fellows,  with 
strong  German  faces,  and  I  heard  'em  at  a  dis 
tance  talking  in  a  language  that  I'm  pretty  sure 
was  German." 

"Why  didn't  you  report  this  to  the  guard?" 

"I  did.  But  they  were  a  lot  of  fresh  young 
fellows,  and  they  only  laughed  at  me  and  said  I 
was  too  suspicious,"  grumbled  Jed  Kessler.  "But 
that  is  where  I  made  a  mistake.  I  should  have 
gone  right  to  the  offices  and  reported  to  the  head 
boss." 

"Do  you  suppose  you'd  know  those  fellows 
again  if  you  saw  them?"  questioned  Jack. 

"I  think  I  would — although  I'm  not  sure. 
They  were  both  fellows  with  heavy  black  hair 
and  heavy  black  beards,  and  one  of  them  walked 
with  his  right  foot  kind  of  turned  out." 

"You  certainly  ought  to  report  this  as  soon  as 
possible,"  declared  the  oldest  Rover  boy.  "It 
may  furnish  the  authorities  with  an  important 
clue.  If  I  were  you,  I  would  get  into  com 
munication  with  one  of  your  bosses  without 
delay." 

Leaving  the  old  man  and  his  rowboat  at  the 
dock,  the  four  Rovers  rowed  up  the  lake  once 
more  in  the  direction  of  the  Clearwater  Hall  boat- 
house.  By  this  time  the  explosions  at  the  shell- 


A  RESCUE  ON  THE  LAKE  43 

loading  plant  had  practically  ceased,  and  only  a 
small  amount  of  smoke  was  now  coming  from  the 
ruins. 

When  the  Rovers  arrived  at  the  boathouse  con 
nected  with  the  girls'  school,  they  found  that 
Mary  and  Martha  had  come  down  to  the  place, 
accompanied  by  a  number  of  the  other  girls.  All 
had  heard  that  the  Rovers  had  taken  the  rowboat, 
and  were  wondering  if  the  lads  were  safe. 

"You've  given  us  a  terrible  scare,"  declared 
Martha  to  her  brother.  "You  shouldn't  have 
taken  such  a  risk!" 

"Well,  it  was  worth  while,"  answered  Fred, 
and  then  told  of  the  rescue  of  Jed  Kessler. 

"Well,  we've  had  a  surprise  since  you  went 
away,"  said  Ruth  Stevenson  presently. 

"A  thoroughly  disagreeable  surprise,  too," 
added  May  Powell.  "You'll  never  guess  who 
was  here  only  a  few  minutes  ago !" 

"Some  of  our  folks  from  New  York?"  ques 
tioned  Jack  quickly. 

"No  such  luck,"  answered  his  sister. 

"They  were  two  persons  we  didn't  care  to  see," 
said  Ruth.  "They  were  Slugger  Brown  and 
Nappy  Martell !" 


CHAPTER  V 

MEETING   OLD   ENEMIES 

"SLUGGER  BROWN  and  Nappy  Martell!"  The 
cry  came  from  all  of  the  Rover  boys  simultan 
eously. 

"What  were  those  fellows  doing  here?"  con 
tinued  Jack. 

"Did  they  dare  to  speak  to  you?"  demanded 
Fred. 

"Of  course  they  spoke  to  us — you  can't  stop 
fellows  like  Brown  and  Martell  from  doing  that," 
answered  Ruth.  "But  you  can  be  sure  we  gave 
them  both  the  cold  shoulder." 

"What  did  they  want  here?"  questioned  Jack. 

"I  don't  know  what  they  wanted  or  where  they 
came  from,"  continued  Ruth.  "Their  appearance 
gave  us  such  a  shock  we  didn't  know  what  to  do 
at  first." 

"We  were  on  our  way  from  the  school  to  the 
boathouse,  and  were  just  crossing  the  roadway 
when  Slugger  and  Nappy  came  along  in  a  run 
about,"  said  May.  "The  minute  they  saw  us  they 

44 


45 

stopped  and  jumped  out.  They  ask«d  us  a  whole 
lot  of  questions  about  how  we  were  getting  along 
at  school  and  if  your  sisters  were  here." 

"Our  sisters!"  cried  Fred.  "What  business 
have  they  got  to  ask  about  Martha  and  Mary?" 

"Of  course  we  didn't  answer  their  questions, 
and  Martha  and  Mary  had  gone  on  ahead,  so 
Brown  and  Martell  didn't  see  them,"  said  Ruth. 
"They  tried  to  act  in  a  friendly  manner,  but  we 
gave  them  to  understand  that  we  wanted  nothing 
to  do  with  them.  Then  they  jumped  into  the 
runabout  again  and  drove  off." 

"Did  they  go  toward  Haven  Point  ?"  questioned 
Randy. 

"Yes." 

"Those  fellows  certainly  have  their  nerve  with 
them — to  show  themselves  anywhere  near  Colby 
Hall  after  what  happened !"  burst  out  Andy. 

"One  would  think  they  wouldn't  want  any  of 
their  old  classmates  to  see  them,"  remarked 
Fred. 

"They  are  not  that  kind,"  replied  Jack.  "Both 
of  them  are  too  thick-skinned  to  be  sensitive. 
More  than  likely  they  have  been  telling  their 
friends  that  we  did  our  best  to  get  them  into 
trouble  and  that  they  were  not  to  blame." 

"Oh,  Jack!  if  you  go  back  to  Colby  Hall  by 
way  of  the  town,  I  hope  you  don't  get  into  any 


46    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

trouble  with  those  horrid  fellows,"  said  his  sis 
ter. 

"Don't  worry  about  that,  Martha,"  answered 
her  brother  quickly.  "I'm  not  afraid  of  Slugger 
or  Nappy  either.  They  have  got  to  behave  them 
selves  ;  otherwise  we  may  bring  up  one  of  the  old 
charges  against  them." 

Of  course  the  girls  wanted  to  know  more  con 
cerning  what  had  happened  to  the  Rover  boys 
while  they  were  out  on  the  lake,  and  they  related 
many  of  the  particulars. 

"And  do  you  really  think  those  two  Germans 
that  that  Jed  Kessler  spoke  about  set  fire  to  the 
munition  plant?"  questioned  Ruth. 

"I  don't  know  what  to  think,  Ruth,"  answered 
Jack.  "One  thing  is  certain:  If  the  first  explo 
sions  weren't  accidental,  then  they  must  have  been 
due  to  some  underhand  work." 

During  the  time  the  boys  spent  with  the  girls 
at  the  boathouse  there  were  no  more  explosions, 
and  now  the  fire  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  lake 
was  dying  out,  while  only  a  small  part  of  the  pall 
of  curious-colored  smoke  remained. 

"I  guess  it's  about  over,"  was  Randy's  com 
ment 

Feeling  that  those  at  Clearwater  Hall  would  be 
safe,  at  least  for  the  time  being,  the  Rovers  de 
cided  to  return  to  Colby  Hall,  knowing  that  Colo- 


MEETING  OLD  ENEMIES  47 

nel  Colby  and  his  assistants  would  be  anxious 
concerning  the  welfare  of  all  the  cadets. 

Spouter  and  those  with  him  had  taken  one 
automobile,  but  the  other  remained,  and,  bidding 
the  girls  good-bye,  the  Rover  boys  jumped  into 
this  and  were  soon  off.  Jack  was  at  the  wheel, 
and  in  spite  of  the  numerous  machines  on  the 
road,  for  the  blowing-up  of  the  shell-loading  plant 
had  caused  great  excitement  for  many  miles 
around,  he  drove  the  car  with  considerable  speed 
in  the  direction  of  Haven  Point. 

"Let  us  stop  at  the  town  for  a  few  minutes  and 
find  out,  if  we  can,  just  how  bad  this  affair  has 
been,"  said  Fred. 

"That's  it!"  returned  Randy.  "I'd  like  to 
know  if  anyone  has  been  killed  or  seriously  hurt." 

They  stopped  on  the  main  street  close  to  where 
were  located  a  number  of  the  stores  and  also  the 
moving-picture  theater  where  the  cadets  had  first 
met  Ruth  Stevenson  and  her  chums. 

"It's  a  pretty  bad  affair/'  said  one  of  the  store 
keepers,  with  whom  in  the  past  the  boys  had  done 
some  trading.  "I  was  just  down  to  police  head 
quarters,  and  they  say  there  that  two  workmen 
were  killed  and  about  fifteen  injured.  It  cer 
tainly  is  a  rascally  piece  of  business,  and  the  fel 
lows  who  did  it  ought  to  be  strung  up." 

"Then  they  are  pretty  certain  that  it  is  the 


48    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

work  of  some  German  sympathizers  ?"  questioned 
Jack  quickly. 

"They  can't  figure  it  out  any  other  way.  The 
boss  of  the  plant,  and  likewise  two  of  his  head 
foremen,  have  been  closely  questioned,  and  they 
declare  that  every  possible  precaution  against  ac 
cidents  was  taken.  More  than  that,  they  say  that 
there  were  two  separate  explosions  occurring  al 
most  at  the  same  time — one  down  on  the  rail 
road  tracks  and  another  in  a  storehouse  quite  a 
distance  away." 

"Yes,  we  heard  that,  too,  from  one  of  the  dock- 
men  of  the  plant,"  answered  Fred.  "He  said  he 
thought  two  men  who  looked  like  Germans  and 
who  had  been  hanging  around  the  plant  might  be 

guilty." 

"Yes,  I've  heard  that  story,  too.  I  think  it  was 
started  by  old  Jed  Kessler,  wasn't  it?" 

"That's  the  man,"  said  Randy. 

"I  think  I  saw  those  two  fellows  here  in  Haven 
Point,"  continued  the  storekeeper.  "They  were 
heavy-set,  round-faced  men,  and  each  had  heavy 
black  hair  and  a  heavy  Hack  beard,  just  as  Kess 
ler  described  them.  They  were  here  several 
times.  I  think  they  had  business  at  one  of  the 
machine  shops,  although  I'm  not  certain  about 
that." 

The  Rover  boys  spoke  to  several  other  people 


MEETING  OLD  ENEMIES  49 

of  the  town  and  gathered  a  little  additional  infor 
mation  regarding  the  destruction  of  the  shell- 
loading  plant,  and  then  reentered  their  automo 
bile  and  started  once  more  for  the  military  acad 
emy.  With  them  went  Bart  White  and  Frank 
Newberry,  who  had  come  down  to  the  town  di 
rectly  after  the  ball  game. 

"If  s  too  bad  this  affair  had  to  happen  just  as 
it  did,"  declared  Bart  White.  "It  kind  of  takes 
the  shine  off  of  our  victory  over  Hixley  High." 

"So  it  does,"  said  Jack.  "But  that  can't  be 
helped." 

"If  you  put  it  up  to  the  shell-loading  people 
they  would  probably  have  been  willing  to  post 
pone  the  blowing  up  indefinitely,"  remarked  Andy 
dryly. 

"I  suppose  the  newspapers  here  will  be  full  of 
nothing  but  this  affair,"  said  Fred  wistfully; 
"and  they  won't  give  our  game  with  Hixley  High 
more  than  a  brief  mention." 

"Oh,  well,  what  of  it?"  cried  Randy  gaily. 
"We  walloped  'em,  and  that's  the  main  thing." 

"Right  you  are!"  came  in  a  chorus  from  sev 
eral  of  the  others. 

At  one  of  the  street  corners,  owing  to  the  ex 
citement,  there  was  a  congestion  of  traffic,  and 
Jack  had  to  bring  the  car  to  a  stop.  As  he  did 
this  there  was  a  sudden  yell  from  behind,  and 


50    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

then  came  a  slight  bump  followed  by  a  jingiing 
of  glass. 

"Hi,  you!  what  do  you  mean  by  stopping  so 
suddenly  ?"  yelled  an  irate  voice  from  the  rear. 

"They've  busted  one  of  our  headlights !"  added 
another  voice  in  surly  tones. 

Those  in  the  tonneau  of  the  Rovers'  automo 
bile  looked  around  quickly. 

"Nappy  Martell  and  Slugger  Brown!"  ejacu 
lated  Fred  in  surprise. 

"They  must  have  been  following  us!"  added 
Randy  quickly. 

"Say,  I  didn't  know  those  fellows  were  any 
where  around  here!"  burst  out  Frank  Nevvberry. 

"I  thought  from  what  you  fellows  told  us  those 
fellows  would  steer  clear  of  this  vicinity,"  added 
Bart  White. 

By  this  time  Jack  and  Andy,  who  were  on  the 
front  seat,  were  also  looking  back  to  see  what  had 
happened.  They  beheld  a  runabout  standing  close 
up  to  their  own  car.  The  collision  had  not  been 
sufficient  to  do  any  more  damage  than  to  break 
the  glass  in  both  of  the  headlights  of  the  run 
about.  They  had  struck  the  framework  kolding 
an  extra  shoe  on  the  rear  of  the  Rovers'  car,  and 
for  this  reason  the  other  automobile  had  not  suf 
fered  any  damage  whatsoever. 

"You    fellows    will   pay    for   this    damage!" 


MEETING  OLD  ENEMIES  51 

grumbled  Slugger  Brown,  who  was  at  the  wheel 
of  the  runabout. 

"You  did  it  yourself,"  answered  Bart  White 
quickly. 

"You  fellows  had  no  business  to  stop  so  sud 
denly!" 

"They  did  it  on  purpose!"  burst  out  Nappy 
Martell. 

As  was  usual  with  the  youth,  he  was  loudly 
dressed,  wearing  a  light  checkered  suit  with  a 
cap  to  match  and  a  flaming  red  tie.  He  looked 
somewhat  dissipated. 

"I'll  attend  to  this,"  said  Jack  to  his  cousins 
and  the  others.  And  without  delay  he  leaped 
from  the  front  machine  and  walked  back  to  the 
other. 

"Just  see  what  you've  done,  Jack  Rover!"  be 
gan  Slugger  Brown.  But  then  the  stern  look  in 
Jack's  face  caused  him  to  come  to  a  stop. 

"I'm  glad  I  met  you,  Brown — and  you  too, 
Martell,"  said  Jack  in  a  low,  steady  voice.  "I 
was  hoping  I'd  see  you  before  you  had  a  chance  to 
leave  Haven  Point." 

"Wanted  to  see  us,  eh?"  said  Slugger;  and  now 
a  somewhat  uneasy  look  took  possession  of  his 
face. 

"Don't  let  him  talk  himself  out  of  paying  for 
the  damage  done,"  put  in  Nappy  loftily.  He  was 


52          THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

puffing  on  a  cigarette  and  blew  the  smoke  high 
into  the  air  as  he  spoke. 

"We're  not  going  to  pay  for  any  damage 
done,"  said  Jack.  "This  little  accident  is  your 
own  fault,  for  you  had  no  business  to  be  driving 
so  close  behind  our  car." 

"We'll  see  about  that,"  grumbled  Slugger. 

"What  I  want  to  talk  to  you  about  is  another 
matter,"  went  on  Jack,  without  raising  his  voice 
because  he  did  not  wish  to  have  any  outsider 
hear.  "You  took  the  trouble  a  while  ago  to  stop 
at  Clearwater  Hall  and  speak  to  some  of  the 
young  ladies  attending  that  school." 

"Well,  what  of  it?  Haven't  we  got  a  right  to 
do  that  if  we  want  to?" 

"I  guess  we  can  speak  to  our  lady  friends  any 
time  we  feel  like  it,"  added  Nappy. 

"Both  of  you  know  very  well  that  none  of  those 
young  ladies  want  anything  to  do  with  you."  con 
tinued  Jack.  "You've  had  your  warning  before. 
Now  I  want  you  to  leave  them  alone." 

"Huh!  you  talk  as  if  you  were  bur  master," 
growled  Slugger,  an  ugly  look  coming  into  his 
eyes. 

"Never  mind  how  I  talk,  Brown.  You  just 
listen  to  what  I'm  saying,  and  you  mind  me.  If 
you  don't,  you'll  get  into  a  whole  lot  of  trouble, 
just  as  sure  as  you  are  born." 


MEETING  OLD  ENEMIES  5^ 

By  this  time  Fred  had  also  left  the  forward 
car  and  was  standing  beside  Jack. 

"Yon  fellows  asked  about  my  sister  and  about 
Jack's  sister,"  said  Fred.  "Why  did  you  do 
that?" 

"That's  our  business,"  answered  Nappy. 

"I  know  why  you  did  it,"  went  on  Fred 
quickly.  "You  did  it  because  you  thought  you 
might  make  some  sort  of  trouble  for  the  girls.  I 
know  you!  Jack,"  he  continued,  turning  to  his 
cousin,  "I  think  the  best  thing  we  can  do  is  to 
have  them  both  arrested  for  that  affair  on  Snow- 
shoe  Island." 

"You  can't  bring  up  those  old  things — they  are 
past  and  gone!"  cried  Nappy  Martell,  his  face 
showing  sudden  uneasiness.  "Old  Barney  Stev 
enson  agreed  to  let  the  whole  matter  drop  pro 
vided  he  was  allowed  to  remain  on  the  island." 

"Oh,  he's  only  bluffing,  Nappy,"  broke  in  Slug 
ger.  "They  can't  do  a  thing,  and  they  know  it !" 

"We  can  and  we  will  unless  you  leave  all  the 
girls  at  Clearwater  Hall  alone,"  declared  Jack 
stoutly.  "Not  a  one  of  them  wants  anything  to 
do  with  you." 

"How  do  you  know  what  they  want?" 

"Because  they  told  us." 

"I  don't  bdieve  it,  Rover." 

"You  can  suit  yourself  about  that,  Brown.    But 


54    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

just  you  remember  this:  If  you  or  Martell  at 
tempt  to  do  anything  in  the  future  to  annoy  my 
relatives  or  any  of  our  girl  friends  at  that  school, 
I'll  see  to  it  that  you  are  punished,  and  punished 
heavily." 

"Say,  do  you  know  what  I  think  ?"  cried  Andy, 
who  had  come  to  the  rear  of  the  front  car.  "I 
think  we  ought  to  give  them  both  a  good  lick 
ing." 

"It  might  do  them  both  good,"  answered  his 
twin. 

"I  don't  see  how  you  fellows  can  show  your 
selves  around  here,"  remarked  Frank  Newberry. 
"After  the  way  you  acted  at  Colby  Hall  and  up 
on  Snowshoe  Island  I  should  think  you'd  want  to 
keep  out  of  sight." 

"What  right  have  you  got  to  butt  in  here, 
Frank  Newberry?"  cried  Slugger  Brown  wrath- 
fully. 

"I've  got  a  good  deal  of  right,  and  you  know 
it,  Brown!  You  and  Martell  were  a  disgrace  to 
Colby  Hall,  and  every  cadet  at  the  academy  is 
aware  of  that  fact  And  I,  too,  know  for  a  fact 
that  none  of  the  young  ladies  at  Gearwater  Hall 
wants  to  have  anything  to  do  with  you." 

"Aw,  you  fellows  make  me  tired!"  growled 
Slugger  Brown. 

By  this   time  a  small  crowd  had   collected, 


MEETING  OLD  ENEMIES  55 

anxious  to  find  out  how  the  damage  to  the  head 
lights  of  the  runabout  was  to  be  settled.  Then 
a  policeman  pushed  his  way  forward. 

"Any  trouble  here?"  he  asked. 

"No  trouble  that  I  know  of,"  answered  Jack. 
"I  stopped  my  car,  and  this  fellow  came  up  be 
hind  me  so  suddenly  that  he  smashed  his  head 
lights." 

"I  see."  The  policeman  turned  to  Slugger 
Brown.  "Your  own  fault,  was  it?" 

"It  was  his  fault!  He  stopped  too  quickly," 
grumbled  Slugger.  "But — er — I — I — won't 
make  any  complaint — at  least  not — not  now,"  he 
said  lamely.  "I'll  take  this  up  later." 

"And  we'll  get  what's  coming  to  us — you  see 
if  we  don't!"  put  in  Nappy  Martell. 

Then  Slugger  Brown  started  up  the  engine  of 
his  runabout,  backed  up  a  few  feet,  and  turned 
out  into  the  roadway.  He  ran  around  the  near 
est  corner  and  up  the  road,  and  was  soon  out  of 
sight  in  the  distance. 


CHAPTER  VI 

CELEBRATING  THE  BASEBALL  VICTORY 

"HE  was  afraid  to  make  a  complaint/'  was 
Fred's  comment. 

"I  can't  understand  why  two  such  fellows 
should  act  the  way  they  do,"  said  Bart  White. 
"They  both  come  from  fairly  well-to-do  families, 
and  they  could  be  really  fine  fellows  if  they 
wanted  to." 

"Slugger  Brown  doesn't  come  from  a  very 
good  family — at  least  as  far  as  his  father  is  con 
cerned,"  answered  Jack.  "Mr.  Brown  is  just  as 
mean  and  dishonorable  as  Slugger.  He  was  at 
the  head  of  the  plot  to  do  poor  Barney  Steven 
son  out  of  Snowshoe  Island." 

"Yes,  and  to  my  mind  Mr.  Martell  is  no  bet 
ter,"  added  Randy.  "I've  heard  my  father  talk 
ing  about  him  several  times.  Martell  has  been  in 
more  than  one  shady  stock  transaction  down  in 
Wall  Street." 

When  the  Rover  boys  arrived  at  Colby  Hall 
they  were  immediately  surrounded  by  a  number 

56 


CELEJB&ATING  THE  BASEBALL  VICTORY    57 

of  their  friends,  all  eag^r  to  learn  the  particulars 
of  what  had  occurred  in  the  vicinity  of  the  girls' 
boarding  school.  Of  course  the  others  who  had 
come  in  ahead  of  them  had  already  told  their 
stories,  but  ererybodj  at  the  military  academy  was 
eager  to  get  all  the  details  possible. 

"It's  the  worst  calamity  that  ever  happened 
around  here,"  said  Will  Hendry,  the  stoutest  boy 
in  the  school,  and  who  was  generally  called  Fatty. 
Hendry  had  started  to  leave  the  school  grounds 
shortly  after  the  others  had  gone,  but  had  been 
stopped  by  Captain  Dale. 

"It  looks  to  me  as  if  it  was  the  work  of  Ger 
man  sympathizers,"  said  Major  Ralph  Mason, 
who  was  the  cadet  at  the  head  of  the  school  bat 
talion.  Ralph  was  the  oldest  student  at  the  Hall, 
and  one  who  was  greatly  liked  by  everybody. 

"Ralph,  what  do  you  think  about  our  getting 
into  this  war  in  Europe?*'  questioned  Randy. 
During  off  hours  the  young  officer  was  always  ad 
dressed  by  the  Rorers  by  his  first  name,  although 
during  school  hoars  and  when  on  parade  they  in 
variably  addressed  the  young  major  by  his  official 
title. 

"I'm  glad  we've  got  into  it  at  last,"  returned 
Ralph  Mason.  **My  father  thinks  we  should  have 
gotten  into  it  long  ago.  I  only  wish  one  thing," 
he  added  wistfully. 


58    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"And  I  know  what  that  is !"  cried  Jack.  "You 
wish  you  were  old  enough  to  volunteer  for  the 
army  or  the  navy!" 

"If  we  were  all  older  what  a  grand  company 
of  volunteers  the  Government  could  get  out  of 
Colby  Hall,"  said  Randy.  "I'll  wager  more  than 
half  of  the  fellows  would  want  to  go." 

"I'm  certain  fellows  like  Codfish  wouldn't  want 
to  go,"  remarked  Fred. 

He  referred  to  one  of  the  younger  boys,  Henry 
Stowell  by  name,  a  lad  who  was  a  good  deal  of 
a  sneak  and  who  in  time  past  had  been  a  toady 
to  Brown  and  Martell.  On  account  of  the  great 
width  of  his  mouth,  Stowell  was  usually  called 
Codfish. 

"If  you  fellows  will  keep  a  secret,  I'll  tell  you 
something,"  remarked  Ralph  Mason,  lowering 
his  voice.  "I  just  heard  of  this  a  while  ago." 

"What  is  it,  Ralph?"  questioned  Jack  quietly. 

"Will  you  fellows  keep  it  to  yourselves  until  it 
becomes  public  property?"  asked  the  young  major 
anxiously. 

"Sure !"  was  the  prompt  response. 

"I  overheard  the  talk  quite  by  accident  while 
I  was  in  the  library.  Colonel  Colby  was  talking 
to  Professors  Grawson  and  Brice.  He  stated  that 
he  intended  to  leave  the  HaH  under  the  manage 
ment  of  Captain  Dale." 


CELEBRATING  THE  BASEBALL  VICTORY    59 

"You  mean  Colonel  Colby  is  going  away?" 
questioned  Fred.  "Where  to?" 

"He  has  offered  his  services  to  the  Govern 
ment." 

"Hurrah  for  the  colonel !  I  knew  he'd  do  some 
thing  like  that !"  cried  Randy. 

"Do  you  know  whether  his  offer  has  been  ac 
cepted  ?"  questioned  Jack. 

"Of  course  his  offer  will  be  accepted,"  an 
swered  Ralph  Mason.  "Now  that  we  are  in  this 
great  war  Uncle  Sam  will  need  all  the  soldiers 
he  can  possibly  muster,  and  of  course  they've  got 
to  have  first-class  men  like  Colonel  Colby  to  com 
mand  them." 

"You're  right  there,"  said  Fred.  Then  he 
looked  questioningly  at  Jack  and  the  twins.  The 
others  understood  that  look,  but  just  then  noth 
ing  was  said  concerning  the  thought  which  had 
rushed  into  their  minds. 

"I've  got  to  go  now,"  said  Ralph  Mason,  a  few 
minutes  later.  "I  suppose  you  fellows  will  want 
to  celebrate  that  baseball  victory  to-night?" 

"Surest  thing  you  know !"  declared  Jack. 

"I  don't  suppose  well  have  as  much  fun  as  we 
would  have  had  if  the  shell-loading  plant  hadn't 
gone  up,"  grumbled  Andy.  "We  can't  make  any 
such  noise  as  that." 

"Oh,  we'll  have  fun  enough — don't  worry  about 
that,"  answered  his  twin  quickly. 


60    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Well,  don't  tear  the  old  Hall  down,"  returned 
the  young  major,  laughing,  and  then  hurried 
away. 

"This  certainly  is  great  news  about  Colonel 
Colby's  volunteering  for  the  army,"  said  Jack,  a 
little  later. 

"I  wonder  why  Captain  Dale  doesn't  volunteer, 
too?"  said  Andy. 

"Oh,  he's  too  old;  and  besides  he's  somewhat 
crippled  by  rheumatism  or  something,"  Scid 
Randy. 

The  Rover  boys  hurried  off  to  their  room  to  get 
into  their  cadet  uniforms.  The  twins  went  on 
ahead,  leaving  Jack  and  Fred  alone  for  the  time 
being. 

"Jack,  what  do  you  think  our  fathers  will  do  ?" 
questioned  Fred.  He  remembered  that  both 
Jack's  father  and  his  own  had  at  one  time  been 
officers  of  the  cadets  at  Putnam  Hall.  The  fun- 
loving  father  of  the  twins  had  never  aspired  to 
such  a  position,  being  content  to  remain  "a  high 
private  in  the  rear  rank,"  as  he  himself  had  often 
expressed  it. 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,  Fred,"  was  the  sober 
reply.  "It  may  be  that  they  will  be  just  as 
anxious  to  get  into  the  war  as  Colonel  Colby 
seems  to  be.  But  you  must  remember  that  they 
are  at  the  head  of  The  Rover  Company,  and  pos- 


CELEBRATING  THE  BASEBALL  VICTORY    6l 

sibly  they  won't  be  able  to  leave — at  least  not 
right  away." 

"But  they  are  so  patriotic  they'll  want  to  go," 
declared  Fred. 

"Well,  if  they  make  up  their  minds  to  go,  I 
guess  we'll  be  among  the  first  to  hear  about  it." 

"Gee,  how  I'd  like  to  be  a  soldier  boy !"  sighed 
Fred.  "Wouldn't  it  be  great  if  all  of  us  cadets 
could  go  into  the  army?" 

"We'll  have  to  wait  four  or  five  years  before 
we  can  do  that,  Fred.  And  I  rather  think  that 
by  that  time  this  great  war  will  be  over." 

"Oh,  you  can't  tell  how  long  a  war  like  this 
will  last.  For  all  you  know  the  Germans  may 
come  right  over  here." 

"I  don't  think  they'll  do  that.  They'll  have 
their  hands  full  fighting  in  Europe." 

"Well,  they've  sent  their  submarines  over  here 
already." 

"I  know  that.  But  I  don't  think  they've  got 
enough  submarines  to  transport  an  army  that 
way." 

Since  coming  to  Colby  Hall  the  Rover  boys 
had  occupied  four  very  pleasant  rooms  on  the 
second  floor  in  a  wing  of  the  great  building. 
But  instead  of  using  the  four  rooms  for  bed 
rooms,  the  twins  slept  together  and  all  used  one 
of  the  extra  rooms,  No.  20,  for  a  sitting-room. 


62          THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"You  fellows  have  got  to  hurry  up  or  you'll 
be  late  for  roll  call!"  cried  Randy,  when  he  en 
tered. 

"Oh,  I  think  they'll  give  us  a  little  leeway  on 
account  of  all  the  excitement,"  returned  Fred. 
And  he  was  right, — the  roll  call  and  drill  were 
postponed  for  half  an  hour,  for  which  many  of 
the  cadets  were  thankful. 

It  did  not  take  the  Rovers  long  to  throw  off 
their  baseball  togs,  wash,  and  don  their  uniforms. 
Then  they  lost  no  time  in  rushing  below  to  the 
gun  rack  and  obtaining  their  rifles,  doing  this 
just  as  the  drums  rattled  on  the  parade  ground. 

Soon  the  battalion  of  several  companies  was 
examined,  and  then  began  the  roll  call.  After 
this  there  was  a  brief  inspection  by  Captain  Dale, 
with  Colonel  Colby  looking  on.  Then  the  drums 
rattled  and  the  fifes  struck  up  a  lively  march  air, 
and  the  cadets  marched  around  the  grounds,  dis 
posed  of  their  rifles,  and  entered  the  mess  hall 
of  the  institution.  Here  each  had  his  place  as 
signed  to  him  at  one  of  the  long  tables,  each  table 
presided  over  by  one  of  the  officers  or  a  teacher. 

The  meal  was  a  substantial  one,  for  Colonel 
Colby  believed  in  treating  his  pupils  well,  and  it 
is  perhaps  needless  to  state  that  all  of  the  cadets 
fell  to  with  vigor.  There  was  a  constant  clatter 
of  forks  and  knives,  mingled  with  a  flow  of  lively 


CELEBRATING  THE  BASEBALL  VICTOR*    63 

conversation,  carried  on,  however,  in  rather  a 
subdued  tone,  for  boisterousness  of  any  sort  in 
the  mess  hall  was  against  regulations.  After  each 
lad  finished  he  excused  himself  and  left  the  hall, 
and  soon  all  of  them  had  scattered  in  various  di 
rections. 

"Bonfires  to-night !"  announced  Andy  gaily,  as 
he  turned  a  handspring  on  the  campus. 

"I  think  we  ought  to  have  some  sort  of  feast," 
said  Fred. 

"Great  Caesar,  Fred !  didn't  you  get  enough  to 
eat  at  supper?*'  queried  Jack. 

"Oh,  you  know  what  I  mean — a  little  some 
thing  to  eat  just  before  we  go  to  bed !"  answered 
his  cousin. 

"Suits  me!"  was  the  cry  from  the  others. 

Talk  about  the  victory  over  Hixley  High  and 
about  the  excitement  attending  the  destruction  of 
the  shell-loading  plant  filled  the  air.  The  cadets 
were  only  boys,  and  the  facts  regarding  the  awful 
occurrence  across  the  lake  could  not  subdue  their 
high  spirits  when  they  considered  their  great  vic 
tory  over  the  high  school. 

"We've  just  got  to  celebrate  and  let  off  steam 
somehow,"  was  the  way  Randy  expressed  him 
self. 

Boxes  and  barrels  had  already  been  stored 
away  in  anticipation  of  a  victory,  and  these  were 


64    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

promptly  brought  forth  and  placed  on  the  river 
front  They  were  piled  as  high  as  possible  and 
then  set  on  fire,  the  flames  shooting  skyward 
quickly  and  illtiminating  the  scene  for  a  long  dis 
tance  around. 

"Hello  there,  Codfish !"  cried  Andy  gaily,  when 
he  beheld  the  sneak  of  the  school  standing  not 
far  from  one  of  the  bonfires. 

"Got  any  more  boxes  to  put  on  the  fire,  Cod 
fish?"  questioned  Randy,  who  was  beside  his 
twin. 

"I  haven't  got  any  boxes,"  grumbled  the  young 
cadet.  Since  the  departure  of  Slugger  Brown 
and  Nappy  Martell  from  the  Hall,  Codfish  had 
kept  a  good  deal  to  himself.  But  he  was  as  much 
of  a  sneak  as  ever,  and  did  many  mean  things 
which  were  exceedingly  irritating  to  the  other 
cadets. 

"You  haven't  any  boxes?"  said  Randy,  in  ap 
parent  surprise.  "What's  the  use  of  talking  like 
that?  You  know  better;"  and  then  he  winked  at 
his  brother. 

"I'm  on,"  whispered  Andy  quickly.  "Bring 
him  up  to  his  room  in  about  ten  minutes."  And 
then  he  ran  away  at  top  speed. 

"It's  a  waste  of  good  money  to  burn  up  boxes 
and  barrels  like  that,"  was  Codfish's  comment. 
"I  don't  see  why  Colonel  Colby  allows  it.  Those 


CELEBRATING  THE  BASEBALL  VICTORY    65 

boxes  and  barrels  could  be  used  to  pack  all  sorts 
of  things  in." 

"Well,  if  you  don't  like  to  see  the  boxes  and 
barrels  burned  up,  why  don't  you  furnish  us  with 
a  little  cord  wood?"  inquired  Gif  Garrison,  who 
had  come  up. 

"That's  the  talk!"  said  Jack  quickly.  "Show 
us  where  you've  got  your  cord  wood  stored,  Cod 
fish,"  he  went  on,  after  Randy  had  whispered  in 
his  ear.  Then  Randy  ran  off  in  the  direction  his 
twin  had  taken. 

"I  haven't  any  cord  wood,  I  tell  you !"  stormed 
Codfish.  "And  I  haven't  any  boxes  or  barrels, 
either !"  and  then  he  walked  away  to  get  clear  of 
his  tormentors. 

But  Jack  remembered  what  Randy  had  said  to 
him,  and  did  not  allow  Codfish  out  of  his  sight. 
He  kept  the  sneak  in  view,  and  quickly  gathered 
Spouter,  Gif,  Fatty,  Walt,  and  a  number  of  oth 
ers  around  him. 

"We're  going  to  take  Codfish  up  to  his  room 
in  a  few  minutes  and  treat  him  to  the  surprise  of 
his  life,"  he  explained.  "Don't  forget  to  come 
along  and  see  the  fun." 


CHAPTER  VII 

FUN    WITH    CODFISH 

THE  idea  of  having  a  little  fun  with  Codfish 
had  occurred  to  Andy  and  Randy  on  the  day  pre 
vious,  when  they  had  been  out  collecting  some 
boxes  and  barrels  for  the  bonfires  which  they 
hoped  to  have — provided,  of  course,  that  Hixley 
High  was  beaten  in  the  baseball  contest.  They 
had  talked  the  matter  over  for  some  time,  and 
had  then  set  to  work,  laying  their  plans  to  give 
the  sneak  of  the  school  the  surprise  of  his  life. 

"What's  doing,  Jack?"  questioned  Walt  Bax 
ter,  in  some  surprise. 

"Going  to  put  one  over  on  Codfish?"  ques 
tioned  Gif. 

"Just  you  wait  and  see,"  announced  Jack.  And 
then,  turning  to  Spouter,  he  continued :  "In  about 
five  minutes  I  wish  you  would  go  over  to  Codfish 
and  tell  him  somebody  wants  to  see  him  up  in 
his  room  without  delay.  Put  it  to  him  good  and 
strong  so  that  he  goes  up  at  once." 

"Trust  me  for  that,"  answered  Spouter,  with  a 
66 


FUN  WITH  CODFISH  67 

grin.  "I'll  tell  him  his  grandfather  has  just  died 
and  the  lawyer  is  up  there  waiting  to  hand  him  an 
inheritance  of  a  million  dollars." 

"Don't  pile  it  on  as  thick  as  that !"  cried  Fred. 
"If  you  do,  he'll  take  it  for  another  joke,  and 
won't  go  at  all." 

All  of  the  crowd  kept  their  eyes  on  Codfish, 
and  when  the  time  was  up  Spouter  approached 
Stoweil  as  if  in  a  great  hurry. 

"I  say,  Henry,"  he  said  in  an  earnest  voice, 
"there's  a  man  wants  to  see  you.  They  just  sent 
him  up  to  your  room." 

"To  see  me!  What  for?"  questioned  Codfish 
in  surprise. 

"I  don't  know.  He  seemed  to  be  a  very  nice 
man,  though.  He  was  in  a  great  hurry.  You  had 
better  not  keep  him  waiting.  He  said  it  was  very 
important,"  and  without  waiting  to  be  questioned 
further,  Spouter  hurried  away. 

Codfish  looked  after  the  other  cadet  rather 
doubtfully,  and  stood  still  for  a  moment.  Then, 
however,  his  curiosity  got  the  better  of  him,  and 
he  hurried  off  in  the  direction  of  the  Hall. 

"Come  on,  fellows !"  cried  Jack  in  a  low  voice. 
"But  don't  let  him  suspect  that  you  are  following 
him,  or  it  may  spoil  the  fun." 

Stowdl  entered  the  school  by  a  side  door  and 
ran  up  the  nearest  stairway  to  the  main  corridor 


68    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

above.  The  others  hastened  around  to  the  front 
entrance  and  came  up  by  another  staircase.  They 
were  just  in  time  to  see  the  sneak  hurrying  into 
the  room  he  occupied. 

"Hist!"  came  in  a  low  voice  from  the  other 
end  of  the  corridor,  after  the  door  had  closed 
upon  Codfish,  and  then  from  a  shadowy  recess 
Andy  and  Randy  appeared. 

"Did  you  get  everything  fixed  up?"  questioned 
Jack  hurriedly. 

"All  fixed,"  answered  Andy  laconically.  "Come 
on  in  here,"  and  he  motioned  to  a  room  next  to 
that  occupied  by  Stowell.  This  belonged  to  a 
student  who,  for  the  time  being,  was  away  from 
the  school. 

Once  inside  of  this  room,  Randy  and  Andy 
took  the  others  to  where  there  was  a  door  con 
necting  that  apartment  with  the  one  occupied  by 
the  sneak.  This  was  partly  open,  so  that  they 
could  look  into  Stowell's  room  with  ease. 

"Hello  there!"  they  heard  the  sneak  exclaim. 
And  then  followed  the  switching  on  of  an  elec 
tric  light.  "It's  only  one  of  their  rotten  jokes! 
I  knew  it  all  along!"  murmured  the  cadet. 

He  looked  around  the  room,  and  then  a  cry  of 
astonishment  burst  from  his  lips.  In  the  center 
of  the  floor  were  piled  at  least  ten  boxes  of  va 
rious  sizes  and  shapes.  Some  of  the  boxes  had 


FUN  WITH  CODFISH  69 

had  straw  in  them  and  ethers  excelsior,  and  part 
of  this  was  strewn  on  the  floor. 

"Huh!  Some  of  those  fellows  are  mighty 
smart,  putting  these  boxes  in  my  room!"  growled 
Codfish  to  himself.  "I'd  just  like  to  know  who 
did  it!  If  it  was  that  Spouter  Powell,  I  think 
I'll  go  and  tell  on  him !" 

"Here  is  where  I  got  in  fine!"  murmured 
Spouter. 

Codfish  glanced  further,  and  his  eyes  fell  on 
the  interior  of  the  closet  of  the  room,  the  door 
to  which  stood  wide  open.  Then  he  gave  a  gasp. 

"My  gracious!  if  they  haven't  taken  all  my 
clothing,  and  my  hats,  and  even  my  shoes!"  he 
groaned.  "This  is  the  worst  yet!"  He  rushed 
to  the  closet,  and  another  look  convinced  him  that 
the  place  was  entirely  empty.  Then  he  ran  to  a 
corner  where  stood  a  clothes  tree,  which  had  con 
tained  some  of  his  athletic  outfit.  This  was  like 
wise  empty.  Then  he  rushed  to  his  chiffonier. 

"Gone !  Everything  gone !  Not  a  thing  left !" 
he  groaned.  "Oh,  if  this  isn't  the  worst  yet!  If 
I  don't  tell  on  somebody  for  this !" 

Coming  back  to  the  middle  of  the  room,,  he  sur 
veyed  the  pile  of  boxes  suspiciously.  Then  a  sheet 
of  paper  resting  on  the  top  box  claimed  his  at 
tention. 

"  'For  anything  that  is  missing  look  in  the 


70    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

boxes,' "  he  read  from  the  slip  of  paper.  "Oh, 
dear!  I  suppose  those  fellows  were  just  mean 
enough  to  stuff  all  my  things  in  those  packing 
cases.  I  wonder  what  they  did  that  for  ?  Maybe 
they  thought  they  were  going  to  cart  them  down 
to  the  bonfire  and  burn  them  up,  and  burn  all  my 
stuff,  too.  Just  wait  and  see  if  I  don't  fix  some 
body  for  this !" 

There  was  rather  a  small  box  on  top  of  the 
others,  and  this  Codfish  started  to  open  first. 
One  end  of  the  lid  was  nailed  down,  but  the  other 
was  loose,  and  he  pulled  up  on  this  with  vigor. 

And  then  the  sneak  got  the  first  of  a  series  of 
surprises.  The  lid  of  the  box  held  down  a  large 
rubber  frog,  and  this  bounced  out  of  the  box, 
hitting  him  full  in  the  face.  He  staggered  back 
and  fell  over  on  his  bed. 

"Hurrah!  First  round!"  whispered  Andy  de 
lightedly. 

"Just  wait  for  the  second,"  said  Randy. 

There  was  nothing  else  in  the  box  but  excel 
sior,  and  having  rummaged  about  in  this,  Codfish 
threw  the  box  aside  and  started  to  investigate  the 
next  receptacle. 

The  lid  to  this  was  screwed  on,  and  he  had 
quite  a  job  opening  it.  The  other  cadets  watched 
with  interest,  doing  their  best  to  keep  from  laugh 
ing.  When  the  box  was  opened,  Codfish  found 


FUN  WITH  CODFISH  71 

that  it  contained  a  layer  of  excelsior.  Under  this, 
however,  were  a  number  of  bundles  wrapped  in 
newspapers,  each  containing  a  small  portion  of 
the  stuff  taken  from  his  chiffonier. 

"Huh!  thought  they  were  smart,  didn't  they?" 
he  muttered,  as  he  put  the  things  where  they  be 
longed.  "Just  wait !  I'll  fix  'em  for  this." 

The  next  box  contained  some  of  his  clothing, 
which  he  hung  in  the  closet.  Then  he  tackled  a 
rather  large  box  which  was  bound  up  with  an  old 
clothesline.  He  had  to  tug  at  the  line  quite  a 
little  to  get  it  loose,  not  thinking  in  his  excitement 
that  it  would  be  easier  to  cut  the  line.  The  top 
of  the  box  was  filled  with  all  sorts  of  rubbish. 
Beneath  this  were  some  more  of  his  things,  and 
then  at  the  very  bottom  a  rather  small  wooden 
box  with  a  sliding  cover. 

Any  ordinary  school  boy  would  have  suspected 
some  trick  in  connection  with  this  box.  But  not 
so  Codfish.  He  looked  at  it  carefully,  and  then, 
bringing  it  close  under  the  light,  proceeded  to  pull 
the  sliding  cover  back. 

And  then  he  was  treated  to  another  surprise, 
this  time  far  more  disagreeable  than  the  other. 
The  box  contained  a  large  codfish,  one  which,  as 
Andy  afterwards  explained,  had  seen  better 
days. 

"Phew,  what  a  smell!"  cried  the  sneak,  as  he 


72    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

allowed  the  decayed  codfish  to  fall  out  on  the 
floor. 

The  odor  when  released  from  the  air-tight  box 
was  so  overpowering  that  he  had  to  go  over  and 
throw  open  the  window. 

"Codfish  for  the  Codfish!"  sang  out  Andy 
gaily,  unable  to  keep  quiet  any  longer. 

The  sneak  of  the  school  whirled  around  sud 
denly,  and  there  beheld  in  the  doorway  of  the  next 
room  the  Rover  boys  and  their  chums  in  a  group, 
all  grinning  at  him. 

"How'd  you  like  the  fish,  Codfish?"  questioned 
Fred. 

"Thought  you  said  you  didn't  have  any  boxes 
in  your  room,"  came  from  Jack. 

"I  didn't  know  you  were  raising  frogs  for  a 
living,"  remarked  Randy. 

"Why  don't  you  take  those  boxes  down  and 
put  them  on  the  bonfire?"  questioned  Gif. 

"You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself — litter 
ing  up  your  room  with  all  that  straw  and  excel 
sior,"  was  Walt's  comment.  "If  you  aren't  care 
ful,  you'll  get  some  mighty  bad  marks  for  doing 
that." 

"What  did  you  do  with  the  man  who  wanted 
to  see  you?"  questioned  Spouter.  "Did  you  tell 
him  that  you  were  too  busy  to  talk  ?" 

"You're  a  fine  bunch  of  fellows !"  howled  Cod- 


FUN  WITH  CODFISH  73 

fish,  not  knowing  what  to  say.  "You  had  no  busi 
ness  to  play  a  trick  like  this  on  me !" 

"Play  a  trick  on  you  ?"  questioned  Andy  inno 
cently.  "Who  has  been  playing  a  trick?  Why, 
we  don't  know  what  it  is  to  do  anything  like 
that!" 

"I  think  somebody  said  you  wanted  to  see  us, 
but  I  don't  know  what  for,"  added  Randy. 

"If  anybody  should  ask  me,  I  would  say  you 
had  a  queer  way  of  cleaning  house,  Codfish,"  re 
marked  Fred  calmly. 

"And  to  think  he  stole  one  of  the  codfish  from 
the  pantry!"  said  Jack.  "By  the  way  it  smells, 
he  must  have  taken  it  the  day  he  enrolled  here." 

"Maybe  he  likes  codfish  good  and  strong,"  sug 
gested  Gif. 

"I'll  'codfish'  you  fellows  if  you  don't  leave 
me  alone!"  howled  the  sneak.  He  was  so  vexed 
he  almost  felt  like  crying.  "You  just  wait  till 
Colonel  Colby  or  Captain  Dale  hears  about  this !" 

"Yes,  I  wonder  what  the  colonel  will  say  when 
he  finds  out  you  stole  one  of  the  codfish  belong 
ing  to  the  school,"  said  Andy.  "You  oughtn't  to 
have  done  it,  Henry,  my  boy.  If  you  wanted 
anything  to  eat,  why  didn't  you  ask  one  of  the 
teachers  for  it?" 

"Maybe  he  chews  on  codfish  in  the  middle  of 
the  night  when  he  can't  sleep,  or  when  he  is  try- 


74    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

ing  to  solve  a  problem  in  algebra,"  suggested 
Randy. 

"I  don't  do  any  such  thing,  and  I  didn't  take 
that  codfish  from  the  pantry,  and  you  know  it!" 
howled  Codfish,  in  anger.  "It's  a  put-up  job,  and' 
you  are  the  fellows  who  did  it !  All  of  you  ought 
to  be  sent  away  from  this  school." 

"If  he  took  a  codfish,  maybe  he  took  some 
other  things,  too,"  said  Jack.  "I  think  this  ought 
to  be  investigated." 

"And  how  did  you  happen  to  get  all  these 
boxes?"  demanded  Fred.  "I  know  them.  They 
were  collected  for  the  bonfire  some  days  ago." 

"You  certainly  have  no  right  to  have  them  in 
your  room,  Codfish,"  said  Gif.  "Better  hustle 
'em  down  and  put  'em  on  the  fire  before  the  rest 
of  the  fellows  hear  of  this." 

"And  if  you've  got  things  belonging  to  the 
school  victuals  besides  that  codfish,  you'd  better 
fork  'em  over,"  admonished  Jack. 

"You  clear  out,  every  one  of  you !  I  don't  want 
t©  hear  another  word!"  screamed  Codfish,  in  a 
rage,  "You  just  wait  until  I  report  you !  I  think 
you're  all  too  mean  for  anything !  Go  on  away !" 
And  he  tried  to  close  the  door  to  the  other  room 
in  their  faces.  But  they  held  it  back  so  he  could 
do  nothing. 

"Come  on,  fellows,  let's  put  those  boxes  where 


FUN  WITH  CODFISH  ft 

they  belong!"  cried  Jack.  And,  marching  into 
the  room,  he  picked  up  one  of  the  packing  cases, 
and  the  others  quickly  followed  suit.  Then  they 
marched  out  into  the  hallway,  leaving  Codfish 
staring  after  them  in  bewilderment. 

"I  know  you've  got  some  other  things  belong 
ing  to  the  school  besides  that  fish!"  cried  Andy. 
''You've  got  the  pockets  of  your  overcoat  just 
stuffed  with  good  things !" 

"Haven't  any  such  thing !"  declared  the  sneak. 
And  then,  struck  by  a  sudden  idea,  he  ran  to  the 
clothing  closet  and  brought  forth  his  overcoat, 
which  had  been  in  one  of  the  boxes.  He  rammed 
his  hand  into  one  of  the  pockets,  and  then  sud 
denly  withdrew  it  with  a  yell  of  fright  and  pain. 

And  his  fright  and  pain  were  not  without  good 
reason,  for  clinging  to  the  thumb  of  the  hand  he 
had  inserted  into  the  pocket  of  the  overcoat  was 
a  small,  but  exceedingly  active,  snapping  tur 
tle! 


CHAPTER  VIII 

AN    INTERRUPTED    FEAST 

"On,  oh,  oh!"  yelled  Codfish,  dancing  around 
the  room  wildly.  "Take  that  thing  off !  Oh,  I'll 
be  bitten  to  death !  Take  it  off,  somebody !  What 
is  it,  anyhow?" 

"Hello !  Codiish  has  been  fishing,"  cried  Andy 
gaily. 

"Maybe  he  got  that  from  the  cook's  pantry, 
too,"  broke  in  Randy. 

"What's  the  dear  creature's  na-sne,  Codfish?" 
questioned  Fred. 

"You  haven't  got  to  K3  go  of  him  if  you  don't 
want  to,  you  know,"  came  from  Jack. 

All  this  while  the  sneak  of  the  school  was  danc 
ing  around  the  room,  doing  his  best  to  shake  off 
the  snapping  tvrrtie.  Bat  the  creature,  though 
small,  had  a  hold  that  was  very  tenacious,  and 
refused  to  budge, 

"Say,  he  won't  be  seriously  bitten,  will  he?" 
questioned  Spouter,  in  a  low  tone. 

"No,  it's  only  a  baby  snapping  turtle,"  an- 
76 


AN  INTERRUPTED  FEAST  77 

swered  Andy  slowly.    "Codfish  is  far  more  scared 
than  hurt." 

The  sneak  of  the  school  was  so  frightened  that 
he  did  not  dare  to  take  hold  of  the  snapping 
turtle.  He  held  the  creature  out  at  arm's  length 
and  continued  to  dance  around,  asking  the  others 
to  take  it  off. 

"He'll  eat  my  finger!" 

"Put  it  in  some  water  and  it  will  let  go  quick 
enough,"  suggested  Fred  presently. 

"Yes,  give  him  a  chance  to  swim  around  in  a 
bathtub,"  added  Randy  quickly,  when  he  saw 
Stowell  make  a  move  toward  the  washbowl  in 
one  corner  of  the  room.  "That  isn't  big  enough 
for  a  good  healthy  turtle." 

"Oh,  oh !  I'll  have  the  law  on  you  for  this !" 
yelled  the  sneak,  and  then  bolted  for  the  door  and 
ran  down  the  corridor  in  the  direction  of  the 
nearest  bathroom. 

As  it  happened,  at  that  moment  Job  Plunger, 
the  school  janitor,  was  coming  along  the  corridor 
carrying  an  armful  of  old  magazines  which  he 
had  been  ordered  to  store  away  in  the  attic.  As 
my  old  readers  know,  Plunger,  who  had  been 
nicknamed  "Shout,"  was  quite  deaf,  and  with 
eyes  in  another  direction  he  did  not  see  Codfish 
coming.  The  two  collided  violently,  and  the  jani 
tor  was  sent  over  backward,  scattering  the  maga- 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

in  all  directions,  while  Codfish  came  down 
on  top  of  him. 

"Hi  you !  what  you  mean  by  knockin'  me  down 
that  way?"  shrilled  the  janitor,  when  he  could 
regain  his  breath. 

"I — I  didn't  mean  to  do  it,"  stammered  the 
sneak,  as  he  arose  to  his  feet.  "I  was  in  a  hurry." 

"You  ain't  got  no  right  to  race  through  these 
halls  like  a  crazy  horse,"  went  on  Plunger.  "I 
ought  to  report  you." 

"I  told  you  I  was  in  a  hurry,"  explained  Cod 
fish. 

"Worry  ?"  queried  Plunger,  not  hearing  aright. 
"Ain't  I  got  a  right  to  worry  if  a  feller  like  you 
sends  me  sprawlin'  ?" 

"I  didn't  say  worry — I  said  I  was  in  a  hurry. 
A  snapping  turtle  had  me  by  the  finger,  and  I 
wanted  to  get  rid  of  it." 

"Rappin'i  Well,  you  ain't  goin'  to  rap  me. 
I'll  let  you  know  that !"  growled  the  deaf  janitor. 

"I  said  snapping — not  rapping — a  snapping  tur 
tle!"  Codfish  put  his  mouth  close  to  the  janitors 
ear.  "A  snapping  turtle?' 

"What's  that?  No,  I  ain't  got  no  snappin' 
turtle.  What  would  I  be  doin'  with  a  snappin' 
turtle?"  queried  Plunger  Wankly. 

"I  said  I  had  one  here — on  my  thumb!"  cried 
Codfish.  "It's  gone  now.  I  guess  my  fall 


AN  INTERRUPTED  FEAST  79 

knocked  it  off,"  and  he  looked  around  in  the 
rather  dim  corridor  to  see  what  had  become  of 
the  turtle,  but  without  locating  the  creature. 

"I'm  off,  am  I?*'  snarled  Plunger,  who  had 
been  asked  that  day  to  do  a  large  amount  of  extra 
work  by  the  cadets,  and  was  consequently  in  no 
good  humor.  "I  ain't  half  as  much  off  as  you  are, 
you  young  rascal!"  He  grabbed  Codfish  by  the 
arm.  "You  jest  pick  up  them  magazines  and  put 
'em  in  my  arms  ag'in,  or  I'll  report  you." 

At  this  the  sneak  muttered  something  under 
his  breath.  But  he  was  afraid  of  the  deaf  jani 
tor,  and  so  he  began  to  pick  up  the  various  maga 
zines  that  had  been  scattered  around  and  piled 
them  high  in  Plunger's  arms.  While  he  was  do 
ing  this,  he  continued  to  look  around  for  the 
snapping  turtle,  but  the  little  creature  had  disap 
peared. 

"Now  you  be  careful  after  this,"  said  Plunger, 
when  the  task  of  gathering  up  the  scattered  maga 
zines  had  been  completed.  "After  this  when  you 
want  to  run  through  the  halls,  you  walk !"  And 
then  he  continued  on  his  way. 

The  Rovers  and  their  chums  had  witnessed  the 
scene  in  the  corridor,  but  as  soon  as  Stowell 
turned  to  come  back  to  his  room  they  ran  off  and 
down  a  side  stairs,  carrying  the  packing  cases 
with  them. 


80    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Say,  but  that  was  rich — the  way  he  thumped 
into  Shout,"  was  Andy's  comment. 

"Yes,  and  the  way  Shout  took  him  up  for  what 
he  said,"  returned  Randy.  "Gosh !  it  seems  to  me 
as  if  poor  old  Shout  is  getting  deafer  every  day." 

"I  wonder  what  became  of  the  snapping  tur 
tle,"  said  Fred. 

"If  they  fell  on  it,  they  must  have  crushed  the 
poor  creature,"  returned  Jack. 

The  boxes  were  soon  placed  on  the  various  bon 
fires,  and  then  the  boys  mingled  with  the  other 
students  in  having  a  good  time  generally.  The 
cadets  sang  songs  and  danced  around  the  fires, 
and  then  organized  an  impromptu  parade  up  and 
down  the  river  front  and  around  the  Hall. 

"How  about  that  little  feast  we  were  going  to 
have  before  we  went  to  bed?"  questioned  Randy 
presently. 

"Just  what  I  was  thinking  about,"  answered 
Fred.  "I'd  like  to  have  it  first  rate;  but  where 
are  we  going  to  get  the  eats  ?" 

"Perhaps  we  can  get  something  from  the  Hall 
pantry,"  suggested  Jack. 

"Nothing  doing  in  that  direction,"  came  from 
Ned  Lowe,  who  was  present. 

"What  maices  you  say  that?"  questioned 
Spouter. 

"Bart  White  and  I  tried  it  a  little  while  ago, 


AN  INTERRUPTED  FEAST  81 

and  everything  is  locked  up  as  tight  as  a  drum. 
I  guess  the  head  cook  and  the  head  waiter  got  on 
to  the  fact  that  we  might  make  a  raid." 

"Then  there  is  only  one  other  thing  to  do,"  said 
Randy  quickly.  "And  that  is  to  go  down  to  town 
for  something." 

"That  would  be  easy  enough,  especially  if  we 
could  get  some  one  on  the  road  to  give  us  a  lift," 
said  Jack. 

The  Rovers  and  their  chums  talked  the  matter 
over  for  several  minutes,  and  then  it  was  decided 
that  Jack,  Fred,  Spouter,  and  Gif  would  pay  a 
hurried  visit  to  Haven  Point,  bringing  back  with 
them  such  good  things  as  they  could  pick  up 
quickly  in  the  stores  and  carry  back.  A  cap  was 
passed  around,  and  eight  dollars  was  collected  for 
the  proposed  feast.  The  cadets  who  had  been  se 
lected  as  a  committee  lost  no  time  in  leaving  the 
school  grounds,  and  then  hurried  off  down  the 
road  leading  to  the  town. 

"Let's  watch  our  chance  for  a  ride,"  said  Jack. 
"We  don't  want  to  waste  any  time  on  this  trip." 

He  had  scarcely  spoken  when  they  heard  the 
rumble  of  a  truck  approaching.  It  was  a  motor 
truck  belonging  to  a  dairy  company  doing  busi 
ness  in  Haven  Point  and  other  towns  around  the 
lake. 

"Hello  there!     Give  us  a  ride  into  town,  will 


82          THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

you?"  questioned  Fred  of  the  driver,  as  the  truck 
came  to  a  halt  at  their  signal. 

"Sure!  Climb  on  board,"  said  the  good-na 
tured  driver.  He  had  only  a  small  load  and  was 
glad  of  their  company,  feeling  sure  that  they 
would  treat  him  well  for  the  accommodation. 

By  means  of  the  truck  it  did  not  take  the  ca 
dets  long  to  reach  the  town,  and  there  they  left 
the  driver,  Jack  tossing  him  a  quarter  for  his 
kindness.  Then  the  lads  hurried  to  such  of  the 
stores  as  were  still  open. 

They  had  already  made  up  their  minds  as  to 
what  they  wanted  if  the  things  could  be  obtained. 
At  a  delicatessen  store  they  purchased  a  paste 
board  box  lined  with  waxed  paper  and  filled  with 
chicken  salad,  and  also  some  ham  and  tongue 
sandwiches.  Then  they  rushed  into  a  bakeshop, 
the  proprietor  of  which  was  just  closing,  and 
purchased  several  layer  cakes  and  also  a  gen 
erous  supply  of  ginger  snaps.  Then  they  hurried 
to  a  confectionery,  and  there  obtained  some  bot 
tled  soda  water  and  ginger  ale,  and  likewise  sev 
eral  quarts  of  ice-cream. 

"Now  I  guess  we're  pretty  well  fixed  for  a  lit 
tle  spread,"  declared  Jack,  when  they  were  once 
more  on  the  street,  each  loaded  with  several  bun- 


'I  hope  we  can  get  a  ride  back  to  the  school," 


AN  INTERRUPTED  FEAST  83 

said  Fred.     "These  bundles  are  pretty  heavy." 

"I've  got  an  idea,"  said  Andy.  "See  that  auto 
mobile  yonder?  Well,  that  belongs  to  the  man 
who  owns  the  moving-picture  theater.  There  he 
is  in  front  of  his  place.  I  wonder  if  he  wouldn't 
let  his  chauffeur  run  us  down  to  the  Hall?  He 
knows  all  the  boys  at  the  Hall  are  pretty  good 
customers  at  his  show  place." 

"It  wouldn't  do  any  harm  to  ask  him,  Andy," 
answered  his  cousin. 

The  crowd  crossed  the  street  and  was  soon  in 
terviewing  the  owner  of  the  moving-picture  the 
ater.  He  had  seen  the  boys  there  a  number*  of 
times,  and  remembered  them,  and  was  keenly 
alive  to  anything  that  might  aid  his  business. 

"Sure,  my  man  can  run  you  down  to  the 
school,"  he  said  readily.  "Here  he  is  now."  He 
turned  to  his  colored  chauffeur.  "Joe,  take  these 
young  gentlemen  to  Colby  Hall  and  then  come 
back  here  just  as  soon  as  you  can." 

The  run  to  Colby  Hall  in  the  automobile  took 
but  a  few  minutes,  and  the  driver  very  conde 
scendingly  agreed  to  take  them  around  to  the  rear 
entrance  of  the  building.  The  cadets  paid  him 
for  his  trip,  and  then  lost  no  time  in  sneaking 
what  they  had  bought  up  a  back  stairway  and 
into  the  rooms  occupied  by  the  Rovers. 

By  this  time  the  celebration  over  the  defeat  of 


84    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

Hixley  High  had  about  come  to  an  end.  The 
cadets  were  disappearing  in  all  directions,  some 
going  to  their  rooms  and  others  to  the  library  of 
the  school,  a  large  room  which  was  often  used  as 
a  general  meeting  place. 

Word  had  been  passed  around  to  a  number  of 
others,  so  that  a  crowd  of  about  a  dozen  assem 
bled  in  the  Rovers'  rooms  to  take  part  in  the 
feast. 

"I'll  tell  you  one  thing  we  ought  to  do,"  said 
Randy.  "We  ought  to  square  ourselves  somehow 
with  Codfish.  Otherwise  he  may  be  just  mean 
enough  to  give  us  away." 

"I  guess  I  can  fix  it  for  you,"  said  Ned  Lowe, 
who  in  the  past  had  been  a  bit  more  friendly  with 
the  sneak  than  any  of  the  others  present.  "Just 
give  me  a  plate  of  ice-cream  and  a  piece  of  cake, 
and  I'll  go  and  smooth  it  over  with  the  little 
sneak." 

"Go  ahead  and  do  it,  by  all  means,  Ned,"  an 
swered  Andy  quickly.  "I  don't  begrudge  the  little 
sneak  a  bit  of  something  good.  It  will  make  him 
forget  how  his  thumb  hurts." 

Ned  soon  departed  with  the  ice-cream  and  cake, 
and  then  the  others  passed  around  the  food  which 
had  been  provided.  They  had  brought  along  some 
paper  dishes  and  paper  drinking  cups,  and  like 
wise  a  few  tin  spoons,  and  the  boys  made  them- 


AN  INTERRUPTED  FEAST  85 

selves  comfortable  on  various  chairs  and  on  the 
beds. 

"It's  all  right,"  said  Ned,  when  he  returned. 
"Codfish  was  sitting  by  the  window  in  his  room 
wondering  what  he  was  going  to  do.  He  was 
suspicious  at  first,  thinking  there  was  some  trick 
about  the  ice-cream  or  the  cake,  but  when  he 
found  it  was  all  right  he  felt  better,  and  he  has 
promised  to  keep  quiet.  But  just  the  same,  we'll 
have  to  keep  quiet  ourselves  in  here,  or  we'll  get 
into  trouble.  I  just  heard  the  professors  going 
around  giving  orders  that  the  celebration  was  now 
over  and  everybody  would  have  to  turn  in." 

With  such  healthy  appetites  as  all  of  the  ca 
dets  possessed,  the  good  things  to  eat  and  drink 
disappeared  as  if  by  magic.  Some  of  the  boys 
wanted  to  sing,  but  this  had  to  be  tabooed. 
Spouter,  however,  was  called  on  to  make  a  little 
speech,  much  to  his  delight. 

"It's  a  grand  occasion,"  he  began.  "A  grand 
and  glorious  occasion,  and  one  which  will  live  long 
in  the  memory  of  those  attending  this  school.  In 
years  to  come  we  can  point  with  great  pride  to 
our  baseball  association  and  how,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  our  opponents  possessed  a  pitcher  whose 
renown  had  traveled  for  many  miles,  and  an  out 
field  which  was  classed  as  second  to  none  in  this 
district,  yet  our  invincible  heroes " 


86    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Hurrah!  Hurrah!  That's  the  stuff,  Spouter !" 
interrupted  Andy. 

"Did  you  say  invisible  heroes  ?"  queried  Randy. 

"I  did  not,"  snorted  Spouter.  "I  said  our  in 
vincible  heroes.  And  as  I  was  about  to  further 
remark,  our  invincible  heroes  covered  themselves 
with  a  glory  which  will  ever  remain  as  a  bright 
guiding  star  to  this  glorious  school,  and  when  in 
days  to  come " 

"How  do  you  know  the  days  are  to  come?" 
questioned  Andy.  "Maybe  the  days  will  go." 

"Stop   your   interrupting!"    cried    the   young 

speechmaker.    "And  in  the  days  to  come "  he 

repeated,   "and   in  the  days  to  come — er — we 
shall,  in  the  days  to  come " 

"Great  Caesar,  Spouter!  how  long  are  those 
days  coming?"  queried  Randy. 

"Say,  how  can  a  fellow  make  a  speech  if  you're 
going  to  interrupt  him  all  the  time?"  cried 
Spouter.  "If  you  want  to  listen  to  what  I've  got 
to  say " 

At  this  moment  came  another  interruption,  but 
not  from  any  of  the  others  present.  There  was 
a  loud  knock  on  the  door,  something  which 
brought  all  of  the  cadets  to  their  feet  m  <4anii. 


&   TELEGRAM    FROM    HOME 

TLL  bet  it's  one  of  the  professors !"  whispered 
Fred. 

"Just  our  confounded  luck!"  grumbled  Andy. 

"And  when  we  were  having  such  a  dandy 
time !"  added  his  twin. 

"Say,  you  fellows  get  that  stuff  out  of  sight, 
and  be  quick  about  it !"  commanded  Jack  in  a  low 
tone  of  voice.  "Take  everything  into  the  other 
rooms." 

With  alacrity  the  cadets  removed  all  traces  of 
the  spread,  placing  the  empty  soda-water  bottles 
and  ginger-ale  bottles  and  other  things  in  a  closet 
and  in  the  adjoining  rooms. 

"Now  you  outside  fellows  get  into  the  other 
rooms,  and  hide  in  the  closets  if  necessary,"  said 
Jack.  "I'll  stay  here  with  my  cousins." 

The  knock  on  the  door  had  been  repeated  sev 
eral  times,  and  Jack  had  answered  in  a  sleepy 
voice  that  he  was  coming.  Then,  when  all  was 
ready,  he  threw  the  door  open — to  find  himself 

87 


88    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

confronted,  not  by  one  of  the  professors,  as  he 
had  expected,  but  by  Bob  Nixon,  a  fellow  who 
was  employed  as  a  chauffeur  and  a  generd  man 
of  all  work  around  the  school. 

"You  must  sleep  pretty  sound,"  announced 
Nixon  good-naturedly.  "I  thought  I'd  have  to 
knock  the  door  down  to  make  you  hear." 

"I  told  you  I  was  coming,  Nixon,"  answered 
Jack.  "What  do  you  want?" 

"Got  a  telegram  for  you,"  answered  the  man 
curtly.  "Professor  Brice  asked  me  to  bring  it  up 
to  you.  Say,  you  fellows  certainly  did  trim  up 
Hixley  High  to-day,  didn't  you?"  the  chauffeur 
went  on,  grinning. 

"You're  right  we  did!"  answered  Jack.  He 
was  immensely  relieved  to  think  it  was  not  one 
of  the  professors  come  to  spoil  their  feast. 
"Where  is  the  telegram  ?" 

"Here  you  are,"  and  Nixon  held  it  forth. 

"Any  charges?" 

"No ;  it's  a  prepaid  telegram.  It  was  delivered 
with  another  one  for  Colonel  Colby.  He  signed 
for  it,  thinking  you  might  be  asleep.  I  hope  you 
haven't  got  any  bad  news." 

"I  hope  so  myself,"  answered  Jack.  His  heart 
had  given  a  little  jump  on  first  receiving  the 
news,  thinking  that  possibly  something  had  hap 
pened  at  home.  He  lost  no  time  in  opening  the 


A  TELEGRAM  FROM  HOME  89 

envelope,  and  while  he  did  this  Fred  and  the  twins 
crowded  around  him. 

The  telegram  was  from  Jack's  father,  and  read 
as  follows : 

"Your  Uncle  Sam  and  I  have  volunteered  for 
the  army.  We  have  both  received  commissions. 
Tell  Fred  of  this  and  break  the  news  gently  to 
Mary  and  Martha.  Uncle  Tom  will  manage  busi 
ness  and  remain  head  of  Liberty  Loan  Commit 
tee.  Cplonel  Colby  will  tell  you  more. 

"RICHARD  ROVER." 

"What  is  it?"  queried  Fred. 

"It's  great  news,  Fred ;  especially  for  you  and 
for  me,"  answered  Jack,  whose  eyes  had  trav 
eled  swiftly  over  the  telegram. 

Then  he  read  the  message  aloud.  Bob  Nixon 
had  retired,  and  Randy  had  closed  the  door  after 
him. 

"Well,  what  do  you  know  about  that!"  ejacu 
lated  Fred.  "My  f  ather  in  the  army !  Good  for 
him!" 

"And  to  think  my  father  is  going,  too!"  re 
marked  the  oldest  of  the  Rover  boys.  "And  he 
also  has  a  commission."  He  looked  at  Andy  and 
Randy  and  wanted  to  go  on,  but  somehow  could 
not 


90    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"And  they  are  going  to  make  our  father  remain 
at  home  and  take  care  of  the  business,"  remarked 
Randy  soberly.  "That's  what  I  call  tough  luck !" 

"It  sure  is!"  declared  his  twin  emphatically. 
'Til  wager  he  wanted  to  go  to  the  front  just  as 
much  as  anybody." 

"Why,  of  course  he  did,"  answered  Jack  read- 
ily. 

"Uncle  Tom  is  just  as  brave  as  anybody !  We 
all  know  that !"  burst  out  Fred.  "It  was  only  that 
somebody  had  to  stay  in  New  York  and  take  care 
of  The  Rover  Company." 

"Of  course  our  dad  was  never  as  much  of  a 
soldier  as  your  fathers,"  continued  Randy.  "He 
never  became  an  officer  at  Putnam  Hall.  Just  the 
same,  I'll  wager  he'd  like  to  have  a  chance  to  put 
one  over  on  the  Huns." 

By  this  time  the  other  cadets  had  come  f*om 
their  various  hiding  places  and  were  listening 
with  much  interest  to  what  was  being  said. 

"It  certainly  is  great  news!"  declared  Gif  Gar 
rison.  "I  wonder  if  my  dad  will  want  to  go, 
too?"  He  knew  that  his  parent  and  the  older 
Rovers  had  been  great  chums. 

'They  leave  us  to  break  the  news  to  Mary  and 
Martha,"  said  Fred.  "That  isn't  going  to  be  a 
very  nice  job.  I'm  afraid  the  poor  girls  will  be 
all  broke  up." 


A   TELEGRAM  FROM  HOME  91 

"I  can't  see  it  that  way,"  answered  Jade. 
"They  ought  to  feel  proud  to  think  our  fathers 
are  brave  enough  to  volunteer." 

"The  telegram  says  that  Colonel  Colby  will  tell 
you  more  about  this,"  said  Randy.  "Why  don't 
you  go  over  and  interview  him?" 

"Maybe  he  has  gone  to  bed,"  suggested 
Spouter. 

"I  don't  think  so— not  if  he  was  up  to  receive 
that  telegram  Nixon  mentioned,"  said  Jack. 
"Anyhow,  I'm  going  down  and  find  out.  Do  you 
want  to  come  along,  Fred?" 

"Sure!"  was  the  instant  response. 

"Find  out  if  the  colonel  knows  anything  about 
my  father,"  said  Randy.  And  then  he  added 
to  his  brother :  "We  can  stay  here  and  get  rid  of 
the  remains  of  this  feast." 

"All  right,"  was  Andy's  answer.  And  then  he 
added  in  a  low  tone.  "Just  the  same,  I  can't 
understand  why  dad  didn't  volunteer  along  with 
Uncle  Dick  and  Uncle  Sam,"  and  his  face  wore 
anything  but  a  pleasant  expression. 

Leaving  the  others  to  dispose  of  what  remained 
of  the  feast  as  they  saw  fit,  Jack  and  Fred 
brushed  up  a  bit,  and  then  lost  no  time  in  hurry 
ing  downstairs  and  to  the  main  entrance  of  Colby 
Hall.  Here  they  found  a  night  watchman  on 
guard. 


92    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"You  can't  go  out  this  time  of  night,"  said  the 
watchman,  following  orders. 

"We  have  just  received  this  telegram,"  an 
swered  Jack,  showing  the  yellow  slip;  "and  we 
must  confer  with  Colonel  Colby  at  once.  The 
telegram  states  that  he  can  give  us  some  informa 
tion  we  want" 

"Oh,  all  right,  if  that's  the  case,"  said  the 
watchman,  and  allowed  them  to  pass. 

As  stated  before,  the  colonel  and  his  family, 
along  with  a  number  of  the  professors,  lived  in 
a  building  some  distance  away  from  the  Hall 
proper.  Crossing  the  campus,  the  boys  noted  a 
light  in  the  colonel's  library,  and  presented  them 
selves  at  the  door  of  this  place,  and  knocked. 

"Come  in,"  called  out  Colonel  Colby. 

They  found  the  head  of  Colby  Hall  seated  at 
his  desk,  looking  over  a  number  of  private  pa 
pers  and  accounts.  He  looked  up  questioningly, 
and  then  smiled  as  he  recognized  his  visitors. 

"Got  your  news  from  home,  I  suppose,"  he 
said,  after  motioning  them  to  seats.  "I  knew  it 
was  coming." 

"It's  great  news,  Colonel  Colby!"  cried  Jack, 
his  eyes  shining.  "Here  is  the  telegram.  You 
see  it  says  you  will  give  us  more  information.  Oi 
course,  both  Fred  and  I  are  curious  to  know  all 
the  particulars." 


A  TELEGRAM  FROM  HOME  93 

"I'll  be  glad  to  tell  you  all  I  can,  boys,"  an 
swered  Colonel  Colby.  "And  first  of  all  let  me 
say  that  I  have  also  volunteered,  and  I,  too,  have 
been  commissioned." 

"Isn't  that  fine!"  exclaimed  Fred.  "Are  you 
going  with  our  fathers  ?" 

"Yes.  And  I  may  as  well  tell  you  a  little  se 
cret.  Quite  a  crowd  of  us,  all  former  pupils  of 
Putnam  Hall,  have  volunteered,  and  we  hope  to 
go  into  the  war  together." 

"May  I  ask  what  sort  of  commission  my  father 
obtained?"  questioned  Jack. 

"He  has  been  made  a  captain  and  your  Uncle 
Sam  has  been  made  a  lieutenant." 

"A  lieutenant !"  said  Fred.  "Well,  that's  some 
thing  anyhow !" 

"And  what  about  you,  if  I  may  ask?"  contin 
ued  Jack. 

"I,  too,  have  been  made  a  captain." 

"Who  of  the  others  of  the  Old  Guard  are  go 
ing?"  asked  Fred. 

"Oh,  there  are  quite  a  number,  including  Harry 
Blossom,  Bart  Conners,  Dave  Kearney,  and  Hans 
Mueller." 

"For  gracious  sake !  you  don't  mean  that  Hans 
Mueller  is  going?"  queried  Jack.  He  had  often 
heard  of  this  German-American  who  had  been  a 
school  chum  of  his  father.  Mueller  had  never 


94    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

learned  to  use  the  English  language  correctly,  and 
had  been  intensely  German  in  many  of  his  ways. 

"Yes,  Hans  Mueller  has  volunteered,"  an 
swered  Colonel  Colby.  "But  he  is  going  into  the 
heavy  artillery,  so  I'm  afraid  your  fathers  and  I 
won't  see  very  much  of  him.  In  spite  of  his  Ger 
man  blood,  Hans  Mueller  is  very  patriotic,  and 
that  counts  for  a  good  deal." 

"I  should  say  it  did !"  said  Fred. 

"And  what  about  Mr.  Powell  and  Mr.  Garri 
son?"  questioned  Jack. 

"We  have  been  corresponding  with  those  two 
gentlemen,  but  up  to  to-day  have  not  heard  what 
they  have  decided  to  do.  We  are  hoping  that 
they  will  go  with  us  if  they  can  leave  their  busi 
ness.  And  that  puts  me  in  mind.  You  will  prob 
ably  want  to  know  about  your  Uncle  Tom,  and  I 
presume  the  twins  would  like  to  know,  too." 

"Yes,  indeed!" 

"Well,  when  the  question  of  going  to  the  front 
came  up,  your  Uncle  Tom  was  just  as  eager  to 
go  as  anybody,  even  though  he  was  never  an  of 
ficer  during  his  days  at  Putnam  Hall  Military 
Academy.  But  it  was  realized  that  some  one  must 
remain  behind  to  take  charge  of  The  Rover  Com 
pany.  More  than  this,  your  Uncle  Tom  is  at  the 
head  of  one  of  the  most  important  committees 
connected  with  the  sale  of  Liberty  Bonds,  and  he 


A  TELEGRAM  FROM  HOME  95 

is  also  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  Red  Cross  com 
mittees,  and  doing  splendid  work  in  both  posi 
tions.  The  matter  was  talked  over  a  number  of 
times,  and  finally,  much,  however,  against  his 
will,  he  consented  to  withdraw  in  favor  of  your 
fathers.  It  is  understood  that  he  is  not  only  to 
look  after  the  business,  but  that  he  will  likewise 
look  after  all  of  you  young  folks,  including  your 
sisters." 

"And  how  soon  do  all  of  you  expect  to  leave,  if 
I  may  ask?"  questioned  Jack. 

"That  will  depend  somewhat  on  circumstances. 
As  soon  as  I  receive  any  word,  Til  let  you  know. 
In  the  meanwhile,  however,  you  may  get  some 
word  from  home." 

The  two  cadets  continued  to  talk  the  matter 
over  with  Colonel  Colby  for  several  minutes 
longer,  and  then,  realizing  that  he  was  a  very 
busy  man,  they  withdrew  and  hurried  back  to 
their  own  rooms. 

"Now  tell  us  all  about  it,"  said  Andy.  All  of 
the  outsiders  except  Spouter  and  Gif  had  gone 
to  their  own  quarters. 

"Tell  it  straight,"  said  Randy. 

Sitting  down,  Jack  and  Fred  did  so,  the  others 
listening  closely  to  every  word  that  was  said.  As 
they  proceeded  the  twins  showed  their  satisfac 
tion  over  the  news. 


g6    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"I  kne\r  dad  would  want  to  go  just  as  much 
as  anybody,"  declared  Randy. 

"So  did  I,"  added  his  twin.  "As  it  is,  I  guess 
he'll  have  as  much  to  do  as  anybody." 

"He'll  certainly  have  his  hands  full,  running 
The  Rover  Company  aod  being  on  those  two  com 
mittees,  as  -w«fl  as  looking  after  all  of  us  young 
folks." 

"Just  as  if  we  couldn't  look  after  ourselves !" 
exclaimed  Fred. 

"Oh,  well,  you  know  what  I  mean!" 

"This  gets  me!"  said  Spouter.  'Td  like  to 
know  what  my  father  is  going  to  do.  If  he  is 
going  into  the  army,  I'd  like  to  know  it." 

"And  I'd  like  to  know  what  my  father  is  going 
to  do,  too,"  said  Gif.  "I  don't  believe  he  cares 
much  for  military  matters,  but  just  the  same,  he 
is  intensely  patriotic,  and  I  know  he  would  like 
to  get  a  chance  at  those  Bodies." 

"I  suppose  we'll  get  more  news  in  a  day  or 
two,"  said  Jack.  "This  telegram  was  sent  more 
to  break  the  ice  than  anything  else.  It  puts  it  up 
to  us  to  let  Mary  and  Martha  know,"  and  he 
looked  at  Fred  as  he  spoke. 

"Well  go  over  to-morrow  and  see  them,"  was 
Fred's  reply.  "I  don't  think  I  care  to  telephone 
news  like  this.  No,  we'll  take  them  off  by  them 
selves  and  let  them  know." 


A  TELEGRAM  FROM  HOME  97 

A  little  later  Spouter  and  Gif  retired.  The  four 
Rover  boys  sat  up  for  fully  an  hour  longer,  dis 
cussing  the  subject  from  every  possible  point  of 
view.  To  Jack  and  Fred  the  entrance  of  their 
fathers  into  the  army  of  the  United  States  meant 
a  great  deal.  The  great  war  was  on  in  all  its 
fury,  and  they  knew  that  sooner  or  later  their 
fathers  would  be  sent  to  France  to  face  the  enemy. 

"It's  all  well  enough  to  talk  about  going  to  the 
front  and  covering  oneself  with  glory,"  was  the 
way  Fred  expressed  himself.  "But  some  of  those 
who  go  to  the  front  never  come  back." 

"That  is  true,  Fred,"  answered  Jack  soberly. 
"But  a  good  citizen  has  got  to  be  ready  to  do  his 
duty,  no  matter  what  the  cost." 

"Oh,  I  know  that!  Just  the  same,  this  going 
to  the  front  is  a  serious  business.  Even  if  a  per 
son  isn't  killed,  he  may  come  back  minus  an  arm 
or  a  leg,  or  something  like  that." 

"Well,  don't  you  go  to  talking  like  that  to 
Mary  and  Martha." 

"I  don't  intend  to.  Just  the  same,  what  I  said 
is  true." 

"I  know  it" 


CHAPTER  X 

ON   THE   WAY   HOME 

"On,  Jack,  you  don't  mean  it!  Father  and 
Uncle  Sam  have  really  volunteered  for  the  war !" 

It  was  Martha  Rover  who  spoke.  She  and  her 
brother  were  seated  in  a  small  summerhouse  at 
tached  to  Clearwater  Hall.  Not  far  away  sat 
Mary  and  Fred. 

"It's  the  truth,  Martha,"  answered  Jack ;  "and 
here  is  the  telegram  that  was  sent.  We  at  once 
went  to  Colonel  Colby  and  got  some  particulars." 

"But  he  may  be  shot  down  and  killed!"  and 
Martha's  face  grew  white  as  she  spoke. 

"That's  a  chance  every  soldier  takes  when  he 
goes  to  the  front,  Martha.  But  let  us  hope  that 
dad  will  escape — and  let  us  hope  that  Uncle  Sam 
will  escape,  too." 

Jack  and  Fred  had  come  over  early  in  the  morn 
ing  and  had  asked  permission  of  Miss  Garwood 
to  see  the  girls  on  an  important  errand.  They 
had  left  the  school  building  under  the  curious  eye« 
of  Ruth  and  a  number  of  their  other  chums. 
98 


ON  THE  W AY  HOME  99 

"Well,  in  one  way,  I'm  glad  of  this,"  declared 
Mary,  her  pride  showing  in  her  face.  "It's  ex 
actly  what  I  thought  dad  would  do  the  minute  we 
got  into  the  war.  I  knew  he  wouldn't  want  to  be 
thought  a  slacker." 

"But,  Mary!  suppose  they  got  killed — or  even 
wounded?"  murmured  Martha. 

"Martha  Rover!  do  you  want  your  father  to 
hang  back  when  he  thinks  it's  his  duty  to  go  to 
the  front?"  demanded  Mary,  her  eyes  snapping 
questioningly. 

"No,  no!"  answered  her  cousin  quickly.  "I 
know  it's  the  right  thing  to  do.  Just  the  same,  it 
worries  me  a  great  deal ;  and  I  know  it  will  worry 
mamma,  too." 

"You  mustn't  say  anything  about  being  a 
slacker,"  admonished  Jack.  "If  it  should  get  to 
the  ears  of  Uncle  Tom,  it  might  make  him  feel 
very  bad." 

"Oh,  I  don't  put  Uncle  Tom  down  as 
a  slacker."  returned  Mary  quickly.  "I  think  he  is 
making  a  great  sacrifice,  by  staying  behind  to  keep 
the  business  together,  and  to  serve  on  that  Loan 
Committee  and  the  Red  Cross  Committee." 

The  young  folks  talked  it  over  for  some  time, 
and  decided  to  wait  until  they  got  further  word 
from  home.  Then  the  two  girls  went  back  into 
the  school  to  tell  Miss  Garwood  and  their  chum* 


JOO 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 


the  news,  while  the  boys  hurried  to  Colby  Hall, 
arriving  there  during  the  morning  recess. 

"Say,  but  we've  had  some  fun  since  you  went 
away!"  cried  Andy  gaily,  when  they  appeared. 
"Pud  Hicks,  the  janitor's  assistant,  got  the  sur 
prise  of  his  life." 

"How  is  that?"  questioned  Fred. 

"Why,  Pud  was  using  a  vacuum  cleaner  in  the 
upper  hall  when  he  saw  something  in  a  dark  cor 
ner  that  he  couldn't  quite  make  out.  The  thing 
got  stuck  in  the  cleaner,  and  he  put  down  his 
hand  to  see  what  it  was.  The  next  minute  he  let 
out  a  yell  like  a  wild  Indian  and  came  flying  down 
the  corridor,  scared  stiff." 

"What  was  it — the  snapping  turtle?"  asked 
Jack. 

"You've  struck  it.  The  turtle  must  have 
crawled  into  the  corner,  and  when  he  felt  Pud's 
hand  on  him  he  took  a  good  solid  hold  on  Pud's 
little  finger. 

"I  had  just  gone  upstairs  to  get  a  book  when 
I  saw  Pud  tearing  around.  Half  a  dozen  fellows 
were  there,  and  the  way  Pud  cut  up  was  like  a 
circus.  Shout  Plunger  came  tearing  upstairs  to 
find  out  what  it  was  all  about,  and  Pud  gave  the 
snapping  turtle  a  sling,  and  it  hit  Shout  right  in 
the  face  and  then  fell  down  inside  his  coat. 
Shout  put  his  hand  inside  to  find  out  what  it 


ON  THE  WAY  HOME  101 

was,  he  being  too  deaf  to  hear  the  talk  about  a 
snapping  turtle,  and  then  the  turtle  got  busy  and 
got  Shout  by  the  hand.  Then  there  was  more 
fun!" 

"What  did  they  do  wfck  the  turtle  at  last?" 
questioned  Jack. 

"Oh,  Shout  wouldn't  take  any  chances,"  an 
swered  Andy.  "He  put  the  turtle  down  on  the 
floor  and  smashed  it  with  his  heel;  and  then,  of 
course,  the  fun  was  all  over." 

"Did  they  find  out  how  the  turtle  came  to  be 
there?"  questioned  Fred. 

"No,  they  didn't.  Codfish  came  along,  and  he 
started  to  say  something,  but  I  put  up  my  fist  and 
motioned  to  him,  and  then  he  shut  up  like  a  clam." 

"He'll  give  you  away  sooner  or  later,  Andy," 
remarked  Jack 

"If  he  does,  he'll  pay  for  it,"  retorted  the  fun- 
loving  Rover. 

Several  days  went  by,  and  during  that  time 
the  boys  learned  not  a  little  concerning  the  catas 
trophe  at  the  Hasley  Shell-Loading  plant,  the 
local  papers  giving  a  full  account  of  the  affair. 
Fortunately  the  report  that  several  had  been 
killed  was  untrue,  but  about  sixteen  men  had  been 
injured,  and  several  of  them  quite  seriously. 

There  were  many  speculations  concerning  what 
had  started  the  explosions.  It  was  proved  that 


102 

the  first  had  occurred  in  one  of  the  cars  which 
was  standing  loaded  on  the  railroad  track,  while 
the  second  explosion  had  come  less  than  a  min 
ute  later  from  what  was  known  as  Storehouse 
No.  3.  Then  had  followed  an  explosion  at  Store 
house  No.  2,  and  after  that  the  explosions  had 
come  so  rapidly  and  there  had  been  so  much  ex 
citement  that  no  one  could  tell  exactly  what  had 
happened  next.  But  fortunately  the  explosions 
had  been  confined  to  the  storehouses  and  the 
loaded  cars  on  the  track.  The  main  building  of 
the  shell-loading  plant  had  suffered  considerably, 
but  a  portion  was  still  standing,  and  some  under 
ground  vaults,  filled  with  high  explosives,  had 
not  been  reached.  Had  these  explosiyes  gone  up, 
it  is  more  than  likely  Haven  Point,  as  well  as 
Clearwater  Hall  and  possibly  Colby  Hall,  would 
have  been  shaken  to  their  foundations  and  with 
great  loss  of  life. 

A  rigid  investigation  had  been  started  by  three 
different  parties — the  owners  of  the  plant,  the 
local  authorities,  and  the  Secret  Service  of  the 
national  government.  The  Secret  Service  men, 
of  course,  made  no  public  report,  but  the  others 
in  authority  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  ex 
plosions  had  been  started  either  by  some  spies 
working  for  the  shell-loading  plant  or  by  two 
suspicious-looking  men  who  had  been  seen  sev- 


ON  THE  WAY  HOME  IOJ 

eral  times  around  the  place — the  same  fellows  de 
scribed  by  Jed  Kessler. 

"Maybe  those  two  fellows  on  the  outside  had 
confederates  on  the  inside,"  remarked  Jack,  in 
talking  the  affair  over  with  his  cousins. 

"More  than  likely  that's  the  truth  of  it,"  said 
Randy.  "Those  fellows  often  work  in  gangs." 

During  the  days  following  the  victory  over 
Hixley  High,  a  number  of  the  cadets  had  gone 
down  to  Haven  Point  at  various  times,  and  sev 
eral  brought  back  the  report  that  they  had  met 
Slugger  Brown  and  Nappy  Martell  driving 
through  the  town  in  their  runabout.  Slugger  and 
Nappy  had  put  on  a  lordly  air,  bowing  very  con 
descendingly  to  those  they  knew,  but  refusing  to 
stop  for  any  conversation. 

"Those  fellows  make  me  weary  in  the  bones," 
was  the  way  Dan  Soppinger  expressed  himself. 
"What  ever  brought  'em  to  Haven  Point?  If  I 
had  been  fired  out  of  the  school  the  way  they 
were,  I  wouldn't  want  to  show  my  face  around 
here  again." 

"Yes,  Dan ;  but  you  aren't  the  sort  they  are," 
declared  Jack.  "I  don't  believe  either  Slugger 
Brown  or  Nappy  Martell  has  a  particle  of  real 
pride.  They  think  just  because  they  have  a  little 
more  spending  money  than  most  fellows,  they 
can  lord  it  over  anybody." 


104        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

It  worried  all  of  the  Rovers  to  think  that 
Brown  and  Martell  were  hanging  around  Haven 
Point,  and  Jack  telephoned  to  Oearwater  Hall 
several  times,  calling  up  Ruth  and  also  his  sister 
Martha,  asking  if  they  had  been  annoyed  in  any 
way  by  the  pair. 

"We  saw  them  again  down  near  otir  boat- 
house,"  said  Ruth  over  the  telephone.  "They 
acted  as  if  they  wanted  to  talk  to  us,  bat  we  did 
not  give  them  any  chance  to  do  it." 

"If  they  dare  to  say  a  word  to  any  of  you,  just 
let  us  know  and  we'll  take  care  of  them,"  de 
clared  the  oldest  Rover  boy. 

On  the  third  day  came  a  long  letter  to  Jack 
and  an  equally  lengthy  communication  for  Fred. 
The  letters  were  from  their  fathers,  and  in  them 
Dick  and  Sam  Rover  gave  the  particulars  of  how 
they  had  volunteered  for  service  in  France  and 
how  Dick  had  been  commissioned  a  captain  and 
Sam  a  lieutenant.  They  mentioned  tKe  'fact  that 
they  were  soon  to  leave  New  York  City,  along 
with  a  number  of  other  volunteers,  to  go  to  Camp 
Huxwell,  a  beautiful  site  selected  by  the  govern 
ment  and  located  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 

"Why,  say,  that  isn't  very  far  from  here !"  ex 
claimed  Jack.  "I've  often  heard  them  talk  about 
that  place." 

Jack's  father  also  mentioned  the  fact  that  Colo- 


ON  THE  WAY  HOME  105 

nel  Colby  had  obtained  a  commission  as  a  cap 
tain  and  that  a  great  many  others  of  his  old  school 
chums  from  Putnam  Hall,  and  likewise  two  of 
his  comrades  from  Brill  College,  were  going.  He 
added  that  if  Jack  wanted  to  come  home  to  see 
him  off,  he  could  do  so. 

"And  that's  just  what  my  dad  says,  too,"  said 
Fred,  after  both  boys  had  finished  reading  the 
ktters.  "Of  course  we'll  go !" 

"Ten  horses  couldn't  hold  me  back,"  answered 
Jack. 

"Well,  if  you  fellows  go,  we're  going,  too," 
declared  Randy,  when  the  matter  was  talked  over. 

"Bet  your  life !"  added  Andy  slangily.  "I  want 
to  know  what  dad  has  got  to  say  about  all  this." 

Jack  and  Fred  communicated  at  once  with  their 
sisters,  and  learned  that  they,  too,  had  received 
letters  from  home  and  were  going  to  depart  for 
New  York  City  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 
It  was  then  arranged  that  the  young  folks  should 
all  leave  together  on  the  following  morning. 

"Remember  me  to  your  fathers,"  said  Colonel 
Colby,  after  they  had  asked  for  and  received  per 
mission  to  go.  "Tell  them  they  will  hear  from 
me  very  shortly." 

The  two  giris  met  the  four  boys  at  Haven 
Point,  and  Ruth,  May,  Gif,  and  Spouter  came  to 
see  them  off. 


106   THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"I've  got  a  surprise  for  you,"  said  Spouter, 
who  had  come  to  the  railroad  station  at  Haven 
Point  earlier  than  the  others,  in  order  to  obtain 
parlor-car  seats  for  the  party. 

"What  is  that?"  questioned  Fred. 

"When  I  came  in  for  the  seats,  who  do  you 
think  was  just  ahead  of  me  at  the  ticket  win 
dow?" 

"You  don't  mean  Slugger  and  Nappy?"  ques 
tioned  Randy  quickly. 

"You've  struck  it!" 

"What  were  they  doing  there?"  asked  Jack 
with  interest. 

"They  were  getting  tickets  for  New  York." 

"Oh,  dear !  do  you  mean  to  say  we've  got  to  put 
up  with  those  fellows  on  this  trip?"  sighed  Mar 
tha. 

"You  won't  have  to  notice  them,  Martha,"  de 
clared  her  brother. 

"Don't  worry  but  what  we'll  make  them  keep 
their  distance,"  added  Fred. 

The  whole  crowd  looked  around  the  depot,  and 
presently  made  out  Slugger  and  Nappy  at  the  far 
2nd  of  the  platform.  They  were  smoking  cigar 
ettes  and  talking  in  low,  earnest  tones. 

tfl  hope  they  didn't  get  seats  in  the  parlor  car," 
said  Mary. 

"I  don't  think  they  did,"  answered  Spouter. 


ON  THE  WAY  HOME  107 

"They're  such  smokers,  I  guess  they'd  just  as  lief 
hang  out  in  the  smoking  car." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  train  came  along,  and, 
bidding  their  friends  good-bye,  the  Rovers  got 
aboard  and  had  a  porter  show  them  to  their  seats. 
From  the  window  Jack  waved  Ruth  a  good-bye, 
and  then  the  long  train  pulled  out  of  Haven  Point 
and  began  its  trip  to  the  metropolis. 

It  was  rather  a  long  journey,  and  it  was  neces 
sary  that  they  obtain  a  meal  on  the  train. 

"Let  me  go  into  the  dining  car  and  have  a  look 
around  first,"  remarked  Fred,  when  it  came  time 
to  eat. 

"What's  the  matter — afraid  we  won't  be  able 
to  get  seats  ?"  inquired  Randy. 

"I  want  to  see  if  Slugger  and  Nappy  are 
around.  I  don't  want  to  eat  when  they  do." 

"Right  you  are!"  answered  Jack. 

He  and  Fred  hurried  through  the  train  and 
into  the  diner.  Neither  Brown  nor  Martell  were 
present,  for  which  they  were  thankful.  They 
found  a  table  for  four  on  one  side  of  the  car, 
with  a  table  for  two  directly  opposite,  and  at  once 
engaged  both.  Then,  while  Jack  held  the  tables, 
Fred  hurried  back  and  brought  the  girls  and  the 
twins. 

"I  never  eat  in  a  dining  car  but  what  I  think 
of  that  fun  we  had  with  Asa  Lemm  when  we  first 


108        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

came  to  the  Hall,"  remarked  Andy,  as  they  sat 
down.  "My,  what  a  pickle  we  did  get  that  pro 
fessor  in!"  he  chuckled,  referring  to  a  series  of 
incidents,  the  particulars  of  which  were  related 
in  "The  Rover  Boys  at  Colby  Hall." 

"I  wonder  if  we'll  ever  meet  old  Asa  Lemm 
again?"  remarked  Fred. 

"Sure!"  returned  Randy.  "He's  like  a  bad 
penny — bound  to  turn  up  some  time." 

The  young  folks  ordered  soup  for  a  first  course, 
and  this  was  quickly  served.  Mary  and  Martha 
sat  at  the  larger  table  with  Andy  and  Randy  op 
posite,  while  Fred  and  Jack  occupied  the  smaller 
table  on  the  other  side  of  the  car. 

The  soup  was  finished  and  the  young  folks 
were  waiting  to  be  served  with  the  more  substan 
tial  portion  of  the  meal,  when  suddenly  Fred, 
who  was  looking  toward  the  far  end  of  the  dining 
car,  pressed  his  foot  down  on  that  of  his  cousin. 

"What  is  it?"  questioned  Jack  quickly. 

"Here  come  Slugger  Brown  and  Nappy  Mar- 
tell,"  was  the  low  reply. 


CHAPTER  XI 
TOM  ROVER'S  DILEMMA 

ANDY  and  Randy  were  facing  the  same  way  as 
Fred,  and  they,  too,  noticed  the  approach  of 
Brown  and  Martell.  Randy  whispered  some 
thing  in  a  low  tone  of  voice  to  Martha  and  Mary, 
and  the  two  girls  pursed  up  their  lips,  but  said 
nothing,  nor  did  they  look  around. 

The  dining  car  was  almost  full,  and  the  only 
table  vacant  was  a  small  one  directly  behind  where 
Fred  was  sitting.  Slugger  and  Nappy  were  con 
ducted  to  this  by  the  head  waiter,  thus  passing  the 
Rovers.  They  did  not,  however,  notice  our 
friends  until  they  had  seated  themselves  and  given 
their  order. 

"Humph !  what  do  you  know  about  that  ?"  mur 
mured  Nappy  Martell  to  his  crony.  He  was 
seated  where  he  could  stare  directly  at  the  two 
girls. 

"What's  the  matter?"  returned  Slugger  Brown, 
and  then  turned  around  to  follow  his  crony's  gaze. 
"What  do  you  know  about  that?  I  didn't  know 

109 


1 10   THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

they  were  in  such  a  hurry  to  get  to  the  diner,  did 
you?" 

"I  knew  they  would  most  likely  want  to  eat," 
answered  Nappy. 

The  newcomers  winked  at  each  other,  and  then, 
while  they  were  waiting  to  be  served,  Nappy 
began  to  stare  boldly  at  Martha.  But  she  refused 
to  look  at  him,  confining  her  attention  to  her 
plate  and  to  Mary  and  the  twins. 

Fred  could  no  longer  see  the  unworthy  pair,  as 
they  were  behind  him.  But  Jack,  looking  over 
his  cousin's  shoulder,  got  a  good  view  of  how 
Martell  was  staring  at  his  sister,  and  he  also  saw 
how  uncomfortable  this  was  making  Martha.  He 
waited  a  minute  or  two  longer,  hoping  that  Nappy 
would  desist.  But  then,  as  the  dudish  young  man 
continued  to  gaze  at  the  girl,  trying  his  best  to 
catch  her  eye,  he  whispered  something  to  Fred, 
and  then  rose  to  his  feet. 

"All  right,  Jack,  I'm  with  you  if  you  want  any 
help,"  returned  Fred  promptly. 

Without  hesitation,  Jack  approached  the  table 
at  which  Brown  and  Martell  sat  eating  their  soup, 
and  placed  himself  close  to  the  latter's  side. 

"Now  listen  to  me,  Nappy  Martell,"  he  said  in 
a  low  but  distinct  voice,  meant  only  for  the  dudish 
youth.  "You  keep  your  eyes  to  yourself  and 
leave  my  sister  and  my  cousin  alone.  If  you 


TOM  ROVER'S  DILEMMA  m 

don't,  I'll  smash  you  one  in  the  face  that  will  put 
you  in  the  hospital.  Now  remember — I  won't 
give  you  another  warning!"  And  having  thus 
spoken,  Jack  turned  on  his  heel  and  went  back 
to  his  own  table. 

Nappy  Martell  flushed  up  and  an  angry  retort 
arose  to  his  lips.  Then,  however,  he  became  pale 
and  not  a  word  escaped  him. 

"What  was  that  he  said,  Nappy?"  demanded 
Slugger  in  a  whisper. 

"I — I'll  tell  you  afterwards,"  stammered  Mar- 
tell.  "He's  mighty  fresh— that  fellow!" 

"Did  he  threaten  you?" 

"I  guess  he  wants  to  start  a  row,"  grumbled 
Nappy.  "But  I  don't  want  any  fight  in  front  of 
those  girls." 

"Those  Rovers  are  getting  too  fresh  to  live," 
was  Slugger's  comment.  "Some  day  we'll  have 
to  get  after  'em  and  polish  'em  off." 

"We  can't  get  after  'em  any  too  quick  to  suit 
me,"  answered  his  crony. 

After  that  Nappy  confined  his  gaze  to  his  chum 
and  to  the  lunch  set  before  him.  Never  once  did 
ke  allow  his  eyes  to  rove  over  to  the  table  oppo 
site.  Jack  had  spoken  with  an  intensity  that 
showed  his  earnestness,  and  for  once  Nappy  Mar- 
tell  was  completely  subdued. 

"Those  Rovers  are  getting  to  be  a  regular 


112        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

bunch  of  rough-necks,"  he  growled,  after  he  and 
his  crony  had  finished  a  somewhat  hurried  meal 
and  gone  back  to  the  smoking  car. 

"Did  he  want  to  fight  you?"  queried  Slugger. 

"That's  what  he  had  in  mind  to  do — as  if  I 
would  want  to  fight  before  that  crowd  of  people! 
Why,  we  would  all  have  been  arrested!" 

Jack's  meal  had  been  spoiled  for  him,  but  he 
did  not  let  the  others  know  this.  He,  however, 
kept  his  eyes  on  Brown  and  Martell  until  they 
left  the  dining  car.  Then  he  breathed  a  sigh  of 
relief. 

"Gee !  I'm  glad  the/ re  gone,"  was  Fred's  com 
ment. 

"You're  no  more  glad  than  I  am,"  answered 
his  cousin.  "I'll  teach  him  to  stare  at  my  sister ! 
For  two  pins  I'd  have  wiped  up  the  floor  with 
him!" 

"I  wish  I'd  have  gotten  the  chance,"  put  in 
Andy,  from  across  the  aisle.  "Wouldn't  I 
like  to  have  peppered  up  their  food  good  for 
them!" 

In  due  course  of  time  the  young  Rovers 
reached  the  Grand  Central  Terminal  at  Forty- 
Second  Street,  in  New  York  City.  They  had 
sent  a  telegram,  announcing  their  coming,  and 
found  Mrs.  Dick  Rover  and  Mrs.  Sam  Rover 
awaiting  them,  each  with  a  touring  car. 


TOM  ROVER'S  DILEMMA 

\ 

"Well,  I  see  you  got  in  on  time,"  said  Mrs. 
Dick  Rover,  after  the  greetings  were  over.  "I 
thought  on  account  of  so  many  soldiers  being  sent 
to  the  various  camps,  the  train  might  be  late." 

"We  saw  some  soldiers  on  the  way,"  answered 
her  daughter. 

"And  we  also  saw  some  freight  cars  carrying 
cannon,"  put  in  Mary. 

"This  war  is  going  to  make  a  great  change  all 
around,"  declared  Mrs.  Sam  Rover.  And  then 
she  added  to  her  daughter:  "What  do  you  think 
about  your  father  going  to  the  front  ?" 

"It's  just  what  I  expected,"  answered  Mary 
promptly.  "He's  a  real  patriot — dad  is!" 

"You  are  right.  But  I  hate  awfully  to  see  him 
go  away,"  sighed  the  mother. 

The  young  folks  were  soon  seated  in  the  two 
automobiles,  and  their  handbags  were  disposed 
of  in  the  tonneau.  Then  the  cars  were  started 
up,  and  they  were  soon  whirling  away  over  to 
Broadway  and  Riverside  Drive,  and  then  to  the 
comfortable  mansions  occupied  by  the  three  Rover 
families. 

It  was  still  rather  early  in  the  afternoon,  but 
Sam  Rover  had  already  come  uptown  from  his 
office  and  was  there  to  greet  his  son  and  daughter 
and  the  others. 

"It's  great  news,  Dad!"  cried  Fred,  shaking 


II4        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

him  warmly  by  the  hand,  while  Mary  clung 
around  his  neck  and  kissed  him. 

"Oh,  I'm  going  to  be  real  proud  of  you !"  said 
the  daughter. 

A  little  later  Dick  Rover  arrived,  and  Jack 
shook  hands  with  a  warmth  that  was  most  un 
usual.  When  Martha  kissed  her  father  a  cu 
rious  lump  arose  in  her  throat,  and  her  eyes  grew 
misty. 

"I  suppose  it's  all  right,  Dad,"  she  whispered 
in  his  ear.  "But,  oh !  I  do  hope  you'll  come  back 
all  right."  And  she  clung  to  him  in  a  way  that 
spoke  volumes. 

"Of  course  I'll  come  back  all  right,  Martha," 
said  Dick  Rover  confidently.  "And  for  all  you 
know,  your  dad  will  come  back  a  major  or  a  colo 
nel,  or  maybe  a  brigadier  general." 

"Oh,  I  don't  care  about  that!  All  I  want  is 
for  you  to  come  back  safe  and  sound !" 

"Your  father  will  be  up  in  a  little  while,"  an 
nounced  Dick  Rover  to  the  twins.  "He  had  a 
meeting  to  attend  in  reference  to  the  next  Liberty 
Loan.  He's  a  tremendously  busy  man  these 
i  days." 

"But  Uncle  Dick !  he  wanted  to  go  to  the  front 
just  as  well  as  you  did,  didn't  he?"  questioned 
Randy  eagerly. 

"Of  course  he  wanted  to  go,"  was  the  ready 


TOM  ROVER'S  DILEMMA  115 

response.  "But  we  couldn't  all  go,  you  know. 
Somebody  had  to  stay  behind  to  look  after  our 
business  interests  in  Wall  Street." 

"But — but  couldn't  you  hire  somebody  else  to 
run  the  business  for  you?"  questioned  Andy. 
Now  that  he  and  his  brother  were  face  to  face 
with  the  fact  that  their  Uncle  Dick  and  their 
Uncle  Sam  were  going  into  the  army,  it  did  not 
look  right  at  all  to  them  to  have  their  father  left 
behind. 

"We  thought  something  of  that,  but  we  really 
couldn't  see  how  it  could  be  done.  You  see,  we 
have  a  great  many  important  deals  under  way, 
and  if  those  transactions  are  not  looked  after 
carefully,  we  might  stand  to  lose  a  great  deal  of 
money." 

"I  don't  care — if  dad  wanted  to  go  to  the  front, 
he  should  have  had  the  chance  to  go !"  burst  out 
Randy. 

"I  declare,  Randy,  you'll  be  as  hard  to  manage 
in  this  affair  as  your  father  was,"  said  Dick 
Rover,  with  a  faint  smile. 

"Was  he  really  hard  to  manage  ?"  queried  Andy 
eagerly. 

"He  sure  was!  We  had  to  talk  to  him  for 
several  days  before  he  would  agree  to  remain  be 
hind.  He  told  us  once  that  the  whole  business 
could  go  to  pot." 


Il6        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Hurrah  for  dad !  That's  the  way  I  knew  he'd 
act !"  burst  out  the  boy. 

"If  I  was  him  I'd  let  the  business  go  to  pot !" 
declared  Randy.  "What  good  will  your  old  busi 
ness  be  if  those  Germans  win  this  war  and  start 
in  to  rule  everything?  For  all  you  know,  they'll 
come  right  over  to  New  York  and  take  your  whole 
business  away  from  you." 

"Well,  that  might  possibly  happen,"  put  in  Sam 
Rover  seriously.  "Although  I  don't  think  it  is 
Tery  probable." 

Knowing  that  the  young  folks  were  usually 
very  hungry  when  they  got  home  and  that  they 
always  enjoyed  home  cooking,  their  mothers  had 
prepared  quite  a  spread  for  them.  Mrs.  Tom 
Rover  had  gone  downtown  to  meet  her  husband, 
and  now  she  came  back  in  a  flutter  of  excite 
ment. 

"Hello,  Ma!  Where  is  Dad?"  questioned 
Randy,  as  he  ran  up  and  gave  her  a  hug  and  a 
kiss,  followed  by  his  twin. 

"He's  downtown,  up  to  his  ears  in  that  Liberty 
Loan  business,"  answered  Mrs.  Tom  Rover. 
"Oh,  dear!  I  never  saw  such  a  busy  man !  Half 
a  dozen  men  are  coming  in  and  going  out  all  the 
time,  wanting  to  know  what  to  do  next  and  ask 
ing  him  if  he  won't  make  another  speech  here, 
there,  or  somewhere  else.  They  want  him  to  talk 


TOM  ROVER'S  DILEMMA 

at  two  Liberty  Loan  meetings  to-night  and  one 
Liberty  Loan  meeting  and  a  Red  Cross  meeting 
to-morrow  afternoon." 

"Isn't  he  coming  home  at  all?"  questioned  both 
of  the  twins  in  a  breath. 

"Oh,  yes.  He'll  be  here  in  a  little  while.  But 
he  won't  be  able  to  stay  long,"  returned  the 
mother. 

When  Tom  Rover  arrived  he  looked  rather 
tired  out,  but  he  greeted  all  the  boys  with  a  smile 
and  gave  each  of  the  girls  the  kiss  he  knew  they 
were  expecting. 

"Oh,  I'm  in  it  neck  deep,"  he  answered,  in  re 
ply  to  his  sons'  questions.  "They  must  think  I 
can  talk  just  like  a  coffee-grinder  grinds  out 
coffee.  And  the  nerve  of  some  of  them !"  he  con 
tinued.  "Here  they  have  asked  me  to  go  some 
where  uptown  and  meet  a  lot  of  bankers  and  tell 
them  how  some  of  the  work  on  the  Liberty  Loan 
is  to  be  done!  As  if  those  bankers  don't  know  as 
much  about  it  as  I  do,  and  maybe  more !" 

"You've  bought  some  of  the  bonds  yourself, 
haven't  you,  Dad?"  questioned  Randy. 

"Yes,  Son — twenty  thousand  dollars'  worth, 
and  The  Rover  Company,  as  a  company,  has 
taken  twice  that  amount." 

"And  my  father  has  taken  twenty  thousand 
dollars'  worth,  too,"  said  Mary. 


jig        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"And  so  has  mine,"  added  Martha, 

"All  told,  I  think  we're  doing  pretty  wefl  by 
Uncle  Sam !"  cried  Jack.  "Just  the  same,  Uncle 
Tom,  I  think  it's  a  shame  that  they  are  going  to 
make  you  stay  behind  to  run  the  business." 

"I  won't  stay  behind  if  things  get  much 
warmer!"  burst  out  Tom  Rover  suddenly.  "I'll 
put  somebody  in  my  place  and  grab  a  gun  and  go 
after  those  Huns." 

"Hurrah!  that's  the  way  to  talk,"  cried  Andy 
enthusiastically. 

"Would  you  really,  Dad?"  burst  out  Randy, 
his  eyes  shining. 

"Do  you  want  me  to  go,  Son?"  demanded  the 
father,  catching  him  by  the  shoulder. 

"Of  course  I  do!  I  don't  think  you  ought  to 
stay  behind  with  Uncle  Dick  and  Uncle  Sam 
going." 

"It  doesn't  seem  right,"  added  his  twin. 

"And  it  isn't  right!  But  what  am  I  going  to 
do?"  asked  their  father  somewhat  helplessly. 
"We've  all  our  money  locked  up  in  our  various 
business  deals.  Those  deals  have  got  to  be  looked 
after.  Who  is  going  to  do  it  if  we  all  go  away?" 

"Oh,  you  can  get  somebody!" 

"This  getting  somebody  that  you  can  trust 
absolutely  is  not  so  easy,"  answered  Tom  Rover. 
"I  did  think  of  getting  one  gentleman  we  know 


TOM  ROVER'S  DILEMMA  119 

very  well — a  Mr.  Allen  Charter,  who  graduated 
from  Brill  College  a  year  after  your  uncles  and 
I  were  admitted  to  the  institution.  Mr.  Charter 
is  a  very  fine  business  man,  and  understands  the 
deals  we  are  in  perfectly." 

"Well,  then,  why  didn't  you  get  Mr.  Allen 
Charter  to  take  hold  ?"  questioned  Randy. 

"He  was  going  to  take  hold,  but  at  the  last  min 
ute  he  declined,  stating  that  he  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  volunteer  for  the  army." 

"Well,  there  must  be  somebody  else." 

"There  was  another  student  at  that  college, 
named  Stanley  Browne.  He  is  a  cousin  of  Colo 
nel  Colby.  We  were  very  good  friends,  and  I 
thought  sure  that  we  could  get  him  to  take  charge. 
But  Browne  has  also  gone  into  the  United  States 
service." 

"Oh,  if  that  isn't  a  shame — every  one  of  them 
going  in  and  you  left  behind !"  grumbled  Randy. 
"I  don't  think  it's  fair  at  all!" 

"Well,  I  suppose  I've  got  to  make  the  best  of 
it,"  answered  Tom  Rover.  But  as  he  spoke  he 
heaved  a  mountainous  sigh.  This  being  left  be 
hind  while  his  brothers  and  his  best  friends  went 
to  the  front  was  going  to  almost  break  his  heart 


CHAPTER  XII 

AT  THE   ROVER   COMPANY   OFFICES 

"WELL,  we're  off  at  last !  Good-bye  to  every 
body!" 

The  words  came  from  Dick  Rover  as  the  last 
call  was  given  for  the  volunteers  who  were  going 
to  Camp  Huxton  to  entrain. 

"Don't  forget  to  write  regularly!"  came  from 
Sam  Rover. 

"Oh,  we'll  do  that — don't  fear!"  answered  his 
wife  Grace.  "And  don't  you  forget  to  answer 
every  letter." 

"And  please,  please,  both  of  you  be  careful, 
and  don't  get  hurt !"  murmured  Martha. 

"Oh,  say,  Martha!  don't  put  a  wet  blanket  on 
things  that  way,"  whispered  her  brother.  "Don't 
you  know  you  have  to  send  them  away  with  a 
smile?" 

"And  I'm  going  to,"  she  answered  quickly,  and 
then  began  to  smile,  even  though  the  tears  were 
forming  in  her  pretty  eyes. 

"I  know  you  will  take  good  care  of  things 
120 


AT  THE  ROVER  COMPANY  OFFICES      121 

while  we  are  away,  Tom,"  said  Dick  Rover  to 
his  brother. 

"You  can  rest  assured  of  that,"  answered  Tom 
Rover.  "Just  the  same,  I  wish  I  were  going 
along." 

"So  do  I,  now  that  the  time  has  come." 

"We  may  never  have  to  go  to  France,"  put  in 
Sam  Rover.  "The  war  may  be  over  before  that 
time."  Yet,  as  he  spoke,  he  knew  in  his  heart 
that  such  was  not  likely  to  be  the  case.  But  he 
wanted  to  say  something  to  ease  the  minds  of 
his  wife  and  the  other  womenfolks. 

There  were  quite  a  number  of  volunteers  to 
entrain,  and  friends  and  relatives  were  hurrying 
this  way  and  that  to  see  them  off.  Among  the 
Rovers  there  was  much  handshaking  and  not  a 
few  kisses,  and  then  Dick  Rover  and  Sam  en 
tered  the  train,  which,  a  few  seconds  later,  glided 
from  the  station. 

It  was  a  sober  crowd  that  returned  to  the  Rover 
homes,  even  Andy  and  Randy  being  subdued.  No 
one  felt  like  talking.  Poor  Martha  seemed  to  be 
the  most  affected,  and  had  she  attempted  to  speak 
she  would  certainly  have  broken  out  crying. 

"Wefl,  I  suppose  we've  got  to  get  back  to  Colby 
Hall  to  finish  out  the  term,"  remarked  Jack,  after 
Tom  Rover  bad  departed  for  the  offices  in  Wall 
Street 


"Gee !  I  wish  I  could  volunteer  and  go  to  that 
camp,"  sighed  Fred. 

"Well,  we'll  get  a  touch  of  camp  life  soon," 
returned  Jack. 

He  referred  to  the  annual  encampment  of  the 
CoJby  Hall  students.  Every  year  the  cadets  of 
the  school  were  marched  away  to  some  place 
either  in  the  mountains  or  on  the  seashore,  there 
to  erect  their  tents  and  live  under  canvas  for  sev 
eral  weeks.  During  this  encampment  the  cadets 
were  given  a  taste  of  real  military  life,  with 
strenuous  drills  and  marches,  target  and  bayonet 
practice,  and  usually  ending  with  a  thrilling  sham 
battle. 

"Well,  we  can't  get  under  canvas  any  too  quick 
to  suit  me,"  announced  Randy.  "I'd  rather  be 
out  in  the  open  air  than  in  the  Hall." 

It  was  arranged  that  the  young  folks  should  re 
turn  to  Haven  Point  on  the  following  morning. 
Andy  and  Randy  wanted  to  see  as  much  of  their 
father  as  possible,  and  so  decided  to  run  down  to 
Wall  Street  late  in  the  afternoon  and  come  home 
with  him. 

"And  you  fellows  can  come  along,  if  you  want 
to,"  said  Randy  to  his  cousins. 

"That  suits  me,"  answered  Jack.  "I'd  like  to 
see  how  things  look  at  the  offices.  I  haven't  been 
down  there  in  a  long  time." 


AT  THE  ROVER  COMPANY  OFFICES 


123 


"I'd  like  to  go,  too,"  came  from  Fred. 
"Maybe  we  can  cheer  Uncle  Tom  up  a  bit.  He 
certainly  deserves  it — having  all  this  business 
thrust  on  his  shoulders!" 

It  did  not  take  the  four  boys  long  to  reach  Wall 
Street,  and  then  they  hurried  down  to  one  oi 
the  small  but  better-class  office  buildings  in  that 
vicinity. 

The  Rover  Company  occupied  the  entire 
fourth  floor  of  this  building.  There  was  a  large 
general  office  and  a  counting  room  and  three  pri 
vate  offices,  one  for  each  of  the  brothers.  The 
office  help  numbered  about  twenty,  and  the  place 
during  business  hours  was  usually  a  busy  one. 

They  found  Tom  Rover  in  his  private  office  at 
a  large  desk  piled  high  with  sheets  and  docu 
ments.  He  was  hard  at  work  signing  his  name  to 
a  number  of  sheets,  but  smiled  pleasantly  when 
he  saw  who  his  visitors  were.  The  boys,  of 
course,  were  well  known  to  most  of  the  employ 
ees,  and  so  had  passed  in  without  being  ques 
tioned. 

"Come  to  help  me  out,  I  suppose,"  said  the 
father  of  the  twins,  with  a  grin.  "All  right. 
Take  off  your  coats,  roll  up  your  sleeves  and 
pitch  in.  There  is  plenty  to  do." 

"If  that  is  the  case,  Uncle  Tom,  I  guess  you 
don't  want  us  to  disturb  you,"  said  Jack  quickly. 


124   THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"I'll  be  through  here  in  less  than  half  an  hour," 
announced  Tom  Rover.  "Just  make  yourselves 
at  home  for  that  length  of  time,  and  then  I'll  be 
with  you." 

This  was  a  gentle  hint  that  he  must  get  through 
with  his  work,  and  the  boys  lost  no  time  in  back 
ing  out  of  his  office.  They  went  into  the  offices 
usually  occupied  by  Dick  Rover  and  Sam  Rover, 
looking  over  a  number  of  books,  magazines  and 
pamphlets. 

"Let's  'go  down  in  the  street  for  a  while  and 
take  a  look  around,"  suggested  Andy,  who  al 
ways  liked  to  be  on  the  go. 

As  there  was  nothing  particular  for  them  to 
do  in  the  offices,  the  others  agreed  to  this,  and  so, 
telling  the  twins'  father  that  they  would  come 
back  at  the  end  of  the  half  hour,  they  walked 
out  into  the  corridor  opening  upon  the  elevators 
and  the  stairway. 

As  they  waited  at  one  of  the  elevators  for  a 
chance  to  go  down,  the  elevator  came  up  and 
stopped  to  let  out  a  messenger  boy.  Then  it  con 
tinued  on  its  way  upward. 

"Say,  did  you  notice  who  was  in  that  eleva 
tor?"  cried  Randy  quickly. 

"I  thought  I  saw  Mr.  Martell,"  answered  Fred. 

"Yes,  it  was  Martell,  and  Nappy  was  with 
him." 


AT  THE  ROVER  COMPANY  OFFICES      125 

"Well,  there  is  nothing  strange  about  that," 
came  from  Andy.  "Probably  he  wants  to  see  his 
father  now  he  is  in  New  York  again." 

"I'd  like  to  know  what  Nappy  has  told  his 
father  about  us,"  went  on  Fred.  "You  can  wager 
it's  nothing  good." 

"I  don't  care  what  he  says,  so  long  as  he  leaves 
us  alone,"  said  Jack. 

Another  elevator  appeared,  and  the  four  boys 
descended  to  the  ground  floor  of  the  office  build 
ing.  Here  half  a  dozen  people  were  waiting  to 
go  up,  while  several  others  were  at  the  rear  of  the 
corridor,  talking  earnestly. 

"Hello!  there  are  Slugger  Brown  and  his 
father,"  exclaimed  Fred,  pointing  down  the  cor 
ridor.  "Now,  what  do  you  know  about  that !" 

"They  must  be  in  this  building  to  visit  the  Mar- 
tells,"  returned  Jack. 

"They  are  talking  to  two  men,"  put  in  Randy. 
"I  wonder  who  they  can  be?" 

"Oh,  some  friends  or  business  acquaintances, 
I  suppose,"  answered  the  oldest  of  the  Rover 
boys. 

Ordinarily  none  of  the  Rover  boys  considered 
eavesdropping  honorable,  but  they  thought  it  a 
different  thing  when  dealing  with  their  enemies, 
and  Andy,  being  naturally  inquisitive  anyway, 
sauntered  down  the  corridor  and  passed  the  group 


126        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

that  was  talking  so  earnestly.  The  backs  of  both 
Mr.  Brown  and  Slugger  were  toward  him,  so 
neither  noticed  the  lad. 

"And  if  you  will  do  that,  Mr.  Brown,  you  will 
make  very  good  money  by  it,"  Andy  heard  one 
of  the  strange  men  say.  He  spoke  with  a  strong 
German  accent. 

"You  will  make  far  more  money  that  way  than 
you  ever  did  in  your  business,"  added  the  other 
stranger. 

"Yes,  but  I'll  be  running  a  big  risk,"  Mr. 
Brown  replied.  "Those  things  are  getting  more 
dangerous  every  day." 

"Say,  Pop,  why  don't  you  go  up  and  see  Mr. 
Martell  about  this?"  put  in  the  son. 

"Yes,  I  think  we  ought  to  go  up  and  see  Nelson 
Martell,"  answered  Mr.  Brown. 

"I  have  already  seen  him,"  said  one  of  the 
strangers. 

"Well,  it  won't  do  any  harm  to  talk  it  over 
again,"  returned  Slogwell  Brown.  "Come  on; 
his  offices  are  up  on  the  fifth  floor." 

The  party  of  four  turned,  and  as  they  did  so 
Andy  raised  his  hand  and  made  a  quick  motion 
to  the  other  boys  to  get  out  of  sight.  Then,  as 
Slugger  Brown  and  the  men  passed  him,  he  turned 
quickly  and,  bending  down,  pretended  to  fix  the 
lace  of  his  shoe.  Thus  he  was  passed  without  be- 


AT  THE  ROVER  COMPANY  OFFICES 

ing  recognized.  A  few  seconds  later  the  four 
were  in  the  elevator,  going  up. 

"Why  did  you  motion  for  us '  get  out  of  the 
way  ?"  demanded  Jack,  as  SOOT  as  Andy  rejoined 
the  others. 

"Because  I  didn't  want  Slugger  and  his  father 
and  those  other  men  to  see  you,"  was  the  quick 
reply.  "Do  you  know  what  I  think?" 

"What  ?"  came  in  a  chorus  from  the  others. 

"I  think  that  whole  crowd  is  up  to  no  good. 
Both  of  those  men  look  like  Germans,  and  each 
of  them  talked  with  a  strong  German  accent,  even 
though  they  are  both  evidently  very  well  edu 
cated." 

"What  did  they  say?''  demanded  Jack;  and 
when  told,  he  looked  grave. 

"There  may  be  something  in  this,"  he  said 
slowly.  "Suppose  we  go  up  to  the  fifth  floor  and 
try  to  find  out  a  little  more." 

"We  might  get  caught,"  said  Fred. 

"I  don't  see  how,"  went  on  the  oldest  Rover 
boy.  "Martell  doesn't  occupy  the  whole  floor. 
He  has  the  front  offices  only.  There  are  several 
other  firms  in  the  rear.  We  might  be  calling  on 
them,  you  know,"  and  he  winked. 

The  boys  talked  the  matter  over  for  a  minute 
or  so,  and  then,  as  an  elevator  came  down,  they 
entered  and  got  out  at  the  fifth  floor.  The  little 


128    THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

corridor  here  was  empty,  for  which  they  were 
thankful. 

"Of  course  I  Te  may  not  l)e  a  thing  in  this," 
announced  Jack.  "It  may  be  some  ordinary  busi 
ness  deal  which  is  oerfectly  legitimate." 

"Not  by  the  way  those  two  German-looking 
fellows  talked,"  said  Andy.  "I  didn't  like  their 
looks  at  all.  Unless  I  miss  my  guess,  they  are  a 
slick  pair." 

The  two  strangers  had  looked  to  be  about  forty 
years  of  age.  Each  was  tall  and  rather  stout, 
with  a  clean-shaven,  florid  face  and  close-cut, 
sandy  hair.  Their  eyes  had  had  a  shifty  snake- 
like  look,  and  this  it  was,  as  much  as  anything, 
which  set  Andy  against  them. 

The  doors  to  the  Martell  offices  were  two  in 
number,  one  marked  "Private"  and  the  other, 
"Entrance."  The  boys  waited  for  a  few  sec 
onds,  and  then  walked  softly  over  to  the  latter 
door.  They  heard  a  murmur  of  voices,  but  could 
not  make  out  what  was  being  said. 

"Perhaps  they  are  in  the  office  marked  'Pri 
vate,'  "  whispered  Jack,  and  tiptoed  his  way  in 
that  direction,  followed  by  his  cousins. 

In  front  of  the  door  to  this  office  they  could 
hear  slightly  better.  The  murmur  of  voices  was 
at  times  quite  distinct,  and  they  caught  the  words : 
"Supplies,"  "Canned  goods,"  "Immediate  deliv- 


129 

ery,"  "Motor  trucks,"  "Machinery,"  "Cash  pay 
ment,"  "Night  work,"  and  a  number  of  others. 
Then  the  murmur  of  voices  grew  a  little  more 
animated,  and  finally  they  heard  Nelson  Martell 
exclaim:  "I  think  we  ought  to  have  a  thousand 
dollars  at  least  in  advance !" 

"Better  make  it  two  thousand,"  came  from 
Slogwell  Brown. 

There  was  an  exclamation  from  the  strange 
men,  and  then  the  voices  sounded  lower  so  that 
the  Rovers  could  not  hear  what  was  being  said. 
Suddenly,  however,  one  of  the  strangers  cried 
out: 

"Oh,  I  forgot!  I  have  an  important  engage 
ment  in  less  than  half  an  hour.  I  must  go  at 
once." 

"I  guess  it's  time  we  got  out  of  here!"  ex 
claimed  Jack,  and  started  to  retreat,  as  did  the 
others. 

The  Rover  boys  had  just  reached  a  place  in 
front  of  the  elevators  when  the  door  to  one  of  the 
back  offices  opened  and  much  to  their  surprise 
Nappy  Martell  and  Slugger  Brown  came  out. 
Evidently  they  had  been  sent  off  by  their  fathers 
while  their  parents  had  been  doing  business  with 
the  two  strange  men. 

"Hello!  what  are  you  fellows  doing  here?" 
grumbled  Nappy,  gazing  at  them  suspiciously. 


130        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Did  my  father  come  up  here?"  questioned 
Randy,  before  the  others  could  speak.  "We  want 
to  see  him,"  continued  the  quick-witted  Rover. 
"Maybe  he's  in  Mr.  Benson's  office,  fellows,"  he 
added.  "Come  on." 

There  was  a  Mr.  Benson  on  that  floor  with  an 
office  in  the  rear.  Without  saying  another  word 
to  Nappy  or  Slugger,  the  Rover  boys  marched  to 
the  door  of  the  Benson  place,  knocked,  and  went 
in. 

"Say,  that  was  a  neat  trick,  all  right  enough," 
whispered  Jack  to  Randy.  "But  now  you've  got 
us  into  it,  you'll  have  to  get  us  out." 

"Humph!  that's  easy  enough,"  was  the  ready 
reply.  "Just  leave  it  to  me." 

A  clerk  came  up,  looking  inquiringly  at  the 
boys. 

"Excuse  me,  but  did  my  father  come  up  here  ?" 
questioned  Randy  innocently.  And  then,  as  the 
clerk  looked  puzzled,  he  added:  "I  am  Randy 
Rover.  My  father  is  Thomas  Rover  of  The 
Rover  Company." 

"Oh,  I  see!"  and  the  clerk  smiled.  "No,  I 
don't  think  your  father  came  up  here,  but  I'll  ask 
Mr.  Benson."  The  clerk  disappeared  into  an 
inner  office,  to  reappear  a  moment  later. 
"Sorry,  but  your  father  hasn't  been  up  here  to 
day/' 


AT  THE  ROVER  COMPANY  OFFICES      131 

"Thank  you,"  returned  Randy;  and  then  he 
and  the  others  backed  themselves  out. 

The  stairway  was  close  at  hand,  and  a  few 
seconds  later  the  four  Rover  boys  were  on  the 
fourth  floor.  Here  they  waited  for  the  elevator, 
and  soon  found  themselves  on  the  ground  floor, 
and  from  that  walked  to  the  street. 

"Let's  hang  around  and  see  if  that  fellow  really 
goes  away,"  advised  Fred. 

This  they  did,  and  in  a  few  minutes  saw  the 
two  German-looking  men  come  from  the  build 
ing.  They  seemed  to  be  in  a  great  hurry,  and 
lost  no  time  in  disappearing  up  Wall  Street  in  the 
direction  of  Broadway. 

"I  wonder  if  we  hadn't  better  follow  them?" 
said  Fred. 

"It  might  be  rather  a  long-winded  job,  and 
we  haven't  time,"  answered  Jack. 

"Let  us  stay  around  until  my  father  is  at 
leisure,"  said  Randy.  "Then  we  can  tell  him 
what  we  have  heard  and  see  what  he  thinks  of 
it."  And  so  it  was  decided. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

FUN   AT   THE   RAILROAD   STATION 

"THERE,  may  be  a  good  deal  in  this,  and  there 
may  be  nothing  at  all,"  were  Tom  Rover's  words, 
after  he  had  listened  to  the  story  the  boys  had  to 
tell.  "This  may  be  a  perfectly  legitimate  business 
transaction,  although,  as  I  have  said  before,  Nel 
son  Martell  has  been  known  to  go  into  more  than 
one  shady  transaction  here  in  Wall  Street.  Gen 
erally,  however,  he  just  manages  to  escape  falling 
into  the  clutches  of  the  law." 

"Yes,  but  Dad!  you  must  remember  how  Mr. 
Brown  tried  to  treat  old  Barney  Stevenson," 
broke  in  Randy. 

"Yes,  I  remember  that,"  answered  his  father. 
"And  I  have  heard  that  Brown  is  no  more  reliable 
than  is  Martell.  But  to  know  a  fact  is  one  thing, 
to  prove  it  in  a  court  of  law  is  another." 

"And  those  two  strangers  were  certainly  Ger 
mans,"  said  Andy. 

"I'll  look  into  this  a  little  further  as  soon  as  I 
get  time,"  said  Tom  Rover,  after  a  moment  of 

132 


FUN  AT  THE  RAILROAD  STATION         133 

thought.  "And  perhaps  I'll  speak  to  one  of  the 
Secret  Service  men  about  it.  It  certainly  will  do 
no  harm  to  have  these  men  watched  for  a  few 
days." 

A  little  later  Tom  Rover  was  through  with  his 
labors  at  his  office,  and  then  he  and  the  boys  re 
turned  to  the  homes  on  Riverside  Drive.  The 
father  of  the  twins  had  to  go  out  in  the  evening, 
and  the  boys  spent  the  time  at  home  with  their 
mothers  and  the  girls. 

"We  can't  go  straight  through  to  Haven  Point 
this  morning,"  announced  Jack,  on  the  following 
day,  when  they  had  arrived  at  the  railroad  ter 
minal.  "They  are  shipping  some  soldiers  and 
some  naval  supplies,  and  the  road  is  somewhat 
balled  up.  The  gateman  told  me  we  should  have 
to  make  two  changes." 

All  of  the  mothers  had  come  down  to  see  the 
young  folks  off.  Jack  and  Fred,  as  well  as  their 
sisters,  felt  particularly  sorry  for  their  parents, 
now  left  entirely  alone  so  far  as  their  own  fam 
ilies  were  concerned. 

"But  never  mind,  Ma,"  said  Martha.  "The 
term  at  Clearwater  Hall  will  soon  be  at  an  end, 
and  then  we'll  be  home  again." 

"And  don't  forget  that  we  are  to  pay  a  visit  to 
Camp  Huxwell  if  the  authorities  will  permit  it 
and  dad  is  still  there,"  added  Mary  to  her  parent 


134        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CAN  FAS 

"Sure!  we'll  all  go,"  cried  Fred. 

Owing  to  war  conditions,  there  was  no  parior 
car  on  the  train,  but  the  boys  and  girls  managed 
to  get  seats  together,  for  which  they  were  thank 
ful.  They  made  themselves  as  comfortable  as 
possible,  and  then  settled  down  to  read  their  news 
paper's  and  magazines,  or  gaze  out  of  the  window 
at  the  scenes  which  were  flashing  by. 

There  was  no  dining  car  on  this  train,  but 
from  the  conductor  the  young  folks  learned  that 
they  would  have  to  change  at  a  place  called  Ray- 
monton,  and  they  would  there  have  half  an  hour 
in  which  to  get  lunch. 

"I  can  get  all  I  want  in  less  time  than  that,  pro 
vided  it's  to  be  had,"  said  Fred.  "We  can  go  to 
the  lunch  room  just  as  soon  as  the  train  gets  in." 

Raymonton  was  nothing  but  an  overgrown  vil 
lage  containing  but  a  handful  of  stores,  a  church, 
a  garage,  and  a  canning  factory,  with  the  houses 
occupying  half  a  dozen  straggly-looking  streets. 
There  was  only  a  small  and  not  an  altogether 
inviting-looking  lunch  room,  and  here  the  bill- 
of-fare  was  decidedly  meagre. 

A  tall,  angular  Irish  girl  waited  on  them.  She 
was  pleasaat  enough,  and  smiled  broadly  at  the 
twins'  jokes.  She  served  them  with  sandwiches, 
cake,  pie,  and  hot  chocolate,  and  they  also  pur 
chased  from  her  a  bag  of  grapes  and  pears. 


FUN  AT  THE  RAILROAD  STATION         135 

"I  told  you  we'd  have  plenty  of  time,"  re 
marked  Fred,  looking  at  a  clock  on  the  vrall. 
"We  have  still  ten  minutes  to  spare." 

"I  think  I'll  get  a  shoe-shine,"  said  Jack.  "I 
saw  a  bootblack  outside  roaming  around  doing 
nothing.  If  I  give  him  work  it  may  keep  him  out 
of  mischief." 

At  the  end  of  the  railroad  platform  was  a  stand 
devoted  to  the  sale  of  newspapers  and  periodicals, 
chewing  gum  and  candy.  There  was  also  a  rack 
with  postcards,  and  the  girls  busied  themselves  at 
this,  picking  out  such  cards  as  they  desired.  Not 
far  from  where  the  stand  was  located  stood  a 
long  auto-stage,  marked  "Raymonton  to  Clapp- 
irille.  Fare  10  Cents."  On  the  seat  of  the  stage 
sat  an  elderly  driver,  smoking,  and  the  bus  con 
tained  one  or  two  men  and  several  women  and 
children,  evidently  waiting  for  the  stage  to  start 
on  its  journey. 

Jack  had  just  finished  having  his  shoes  polished 
when  he  and  the  other  boys  noticed  a  man  at  the 
newsstand  talking  to  the  proprietor.  Both  men 
appeared  to  be  out  of  sorts. 

"Sorry,  Sir,  but  you  can't  have  that  magazine!" 
they  heard  the  stand  keeper  exclaim. 

"I'd  like  to  know  why  not!"  demanded  the 
would-be  customer.  "I  am  ready  to  pay  for  it." 

"That's  all  right — but  you  can't  have  it!     I 


136   THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

get  only  two  copies  of  that  magazine,  and  one  is 
for  the  hotel  and  the  other  for  Doctor  Johnson's 
daughter.  They  both  take  it  regular." 

"Humph!  I  guess  you  don't  want  any  cus 
tomers,"  growled  the  other  man  savagely. 
"Well,  if  you  don't  want  to  sell  me  any  of  your 
old  magazines  you  can  keep  them !  I  guess  I  can 
get  all  the  magazines  I  want  elsewhere."  And 
the  man  stalked  off  in  haughty  anger. 

The  boys  had  watched  this  scene  and  listened 
to  the  talk  with  much  interest.  They  had  recog 
nized  in  the  would-be  customer  Asa  Lemm,  the 
professor  who  previous  to  his  discharge  from 
that  institution  had  made  life  so  miserable  for 
them  at  Colby  Hall. 

"I'm  glad  the  fellow  didn't  let  him  have  the 
magazine,"  said  Fred. 

"Gee,  I  wish  we  could  put  one  over  on  old 
Lemm!"  whispered  Andy. 

"I  wonder  what  he  is  doing  in  this  town?" 
queried  Randy. 

"I  think  I  can  answer  that,"  replied  Jack.  "I 
once  heard  that  he  had  some  relative — a  brother 
I  think — living  at  Clappville.  Maybe  he  came 
from  there,  or  is  going  over  to  that  town  in  the 
stage." 

Without  allowing  themselves  to  be  noticed, 
Andy  and  Randy  kept  their  eyes  on  Asa  Lemm 


FUN  AT  THE  RAILROAD  STATION         137 

and  saw  him  hurry  over  to  one  of  the  stores  on 
the  main  street  of  the  town,  where  a  number  of 
magazines  were  displayed  in  the  window.  He 
came  out  of  the  place,  however,  empty-handed, 
and  looking  more  sour  than  ever.  In  the  mean 
time  Jack  sauntered  up  to  the  keeper  of  the  stand 
at  the  railroad  station. 

"Not  a  very  pleasant  sort  of  a  fellow,  that," 
he  remarked. 

"Say,  that  fellow  makes  me  tired !"  growled  the 
newsstand  man.  "I  have  a  run-in  with  him 
nearly  every  time  he  comes  here.  The  last  time 
it  was  over  a  plugged  ten-cent  piece  he  tried  to 
pass  on  me.  When  I  handed  it  back  to  him  and 
told  him  I  wanted  a  good  one,  he  was  as  peppery 
as  sin." 

A  minute  or  two  later  the  driver  of  the  auto- 
stage  tooted  his  horn  to  show  that  he  was  about 
ready  to  start  on  the  trip.  At  once  several  men 
and  women  came  running  from  various  direc 
tions  and  began  to  enter  the  stage.  The  last  man 
to  arrive  was  Asa  Lemm.  He  had  picked  up  a 
valise  and  a  bundle  from  somewhere,  and  he  had 
to  stand  in  the  rear,  waiting  for  those  ahead  to 
enter  the  stage. 

"I  suppose  there  won't  be  any  seat  for  me  by 
the  time  I  get  aboard,"  he  grumbled  to  the 
driver. 


138        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Ain't  my  fault,"  answered  the  stage  driver 
calmly.  "If  you  don't  want  to  stand,  you  can 
wait  until  the  next  trip." 

"I  haven't  time  to  wait.  I'll  crowd  in  some 
how,"  grumbled  Asa  Lemm. 

While  this  was  going  on,  Andy  and  Randy  had 
come  up  close  behind  the  professor.  Both  were 
wondering  if  they  could  not  play  some  sort  of 
trick  on  him  before  he  departed. 

The  newsstand  was  similar  to  many  of  that 
kind,  and  on  two  sides  of  it  were  long  rows  of 
periodicals,  fastened  by  clips  to  a  wire  held  in 
place  by  small  hooks.  Watching  his  chance,  Andy 
unfastened  the  end  of  one  of  these  wires,  and 
motioned  to  his  twin  to  unhook  the  other  end. 

"Now  I  guess  we'll  fix  Mr.  Asa  Lemm!"  mut 
tered  Andy,  and  with  a  quick  move  he  came  up 
behind  the  former  teacher  of  Colby  Hall  and 
twisted  one  end  of  the  wire  around  a  back  but 
ton  of  Asa  Lemm's  cutaway  coat. 

By  this  time  all  of  the  others  had  gotten  into 
the  stage,  and,  being  somewhat  in  a  hurry,  the 
driver  made  a  move  as  if  to  start  away. 

"Hi  there!  Wait  till  I  get  in!"  shouted  Asa 
Lemm  and  threw  his  bags  and  his  bundle  into 
the  stage.  Then  he  got  on  to  the  stage  step  and 
the  driver  started  off. 

"Hello,  look  at  that!" 


"  TALK  ABOUT  THE  TAIL  OF  A  KITE-THIS  BEATS  ANY  KITE 

TAIL  I  EVER  SAW!" 
Tfu  Rnitr  Boys  Under  Canvas.  faft  139 


FUN  AT  THE  RAILROAD  STATION         139 

"Say,  what  is  that  fellow  dragging  behind 
him?" 

"Hi,  Mr.  Gasaway!  That  fellow  is  running 
away  with  your  magazines !" 

"Talk  about  the  tail  of  a  kite — this  beats  any 
kite  tail  I  ever  saw!" 

Such  were  some  of  the  cries  that  rent  the  air 
as  the  stage  started  away  from  the  depot.  On  the 
step,  clutching  the  handrails,  was  Asa  Lemm,  and 
streaming  out  behind  him  was  the  wire,  loaded 
with  magazines  and  picture  papers. 

"Hi  you !  Come  back  here !"  roared  the  stand 
keeper  in  bewilderment.  "What  do  you  mean  by 
running  off  with  my  stuff?  Come  back,  I  say!" 
and,  throwing  up  a  flap  of  the  counter,  he  ran 
out  of  his  stand  and  after  the  auto-stage. 

Asa  Lemm  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  the 
hullaballoo.  People  were  rushing  toward  the 
stage  from  all  directions,  and  many  were  point 
ing  their  fingers  at  him.  He  felt  a  tug  in  the 
rear,  but  could  not  put  his  hand  back  to  the  but 
ton  on  which  the  wire  was  fastened  for  fear  of 
falling  from  the  stage  step. 

"Stop  that  stage !  Stop  that  stage,  I  tell  you !" 
bawled  the  newsstand  keeper.  "He's  running  off 
with  my  magazines!" 

And  then  the  crowd  set  up  a  roar  of  laughter. 

"I  ain't  got  no  time  to  waste.    I'm  behind  time 


I40        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

already!"  yelled  back  the  auto-stage  driver. 
"What  do  you  want,  anyway?" 

"Oh,  my!  did  you  ever?"  screamed  Martha, 
dropping  several  of  the  postcards  she  had  pur 
chased 

"Just  look  at  all  those  magazines  dangling  after 
that  man!"  screamed  Mary.  And  then,  as  she 
caught  sight  of  Andy  and  Randy,  both  doubled 
up  with  laughter,  she  continued :  "I'm  sure  those 
twins  must  have  done  it!" 

Jack  and  Fred  had  also  come  up,  and  both 
were  on  a  broad  grin.  In  the  meanwhile  the 
stage  moved  on  with  Asa  Lemm  still  dragging 
the  wire  and  the  periodicals  attached  to  it  be 
hind  him. 

"Hurrah!  he  believes  in  loading  up  on  infor 
mation!"  cried  Andy  gaily. 

"He's  what  you  can  call  a  real  live  wire!" 
added  his  twin. 

"Come  back  with  those  magazines,  I  tell  you !" 
bawled  the  stand  keeper,  shaking  his  fist  at  Asa 
Letmn.  "Come  back,  I  say!"  And  then  he  set 
off  on  a  run  after  the  stage. 

He  could  not  catch  up  to  the  vehicle,  but  he 
did  catch  up  to  the  end  of  the  wire,  and  as  he 
stepped  on  this  there  was  a  tearing  sound  from 
beyond,  and  away  came  the  button  from  Asa 
Lemm's  coat,  bringing  with  it  a  strip  of  cloth. 


FUN  AT  THE  RAILROAD  STATION         141 

"Hurrah,  he's  got  his  magazines  back*"  ex 
claimed  Randy. 

"And  a  souvenir  of  Asa  Lemm's  coat  to  re 
member  him  by!"  added  his  brother. 

Just  as  Andy  said  thts  a  train  came  rolling  into 
the  station. 

"I  hope  that  is  our  train,"  cried  Fred. 

The  boys  ran  around  to  the  other  side  of  the 
station  and  found  out  from  the  conductor  that 
the  train  which  had  come  in  was  that  for  which 
they  had  been  waiting.  They  at  once  called  to  the 
girls;  and  all  lost  no  time  in  hurrying  on  board. 

"Wait !  I  want  to  see  the  end  of  this !"  cried 
Andy,  and  threw  up  a  window.  He  stuck  out  his 
head,  and  as  the  train  rolled  away  from  Raymon- 
ton  he  was  just  in  time  to  see  Asa  Lemm  pulled 
from  the  step  of  the  auto-stage  by  the  irate  man 
from  the  newsstand.  Then  the  former  Hall  pro 
fessor  was  tripped  up  and  sent  flat  on  his  back 
in  the  dust  of  the  road. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

BACK   TO    COLBY    HALL 

"WELL,  that  is  where  we  got  back  at  Asa 
Lerarn  !**  cried  Randy,  after  all  of  the  Rovers  had 
gazed  out  of  the  car  windows  as  long  as  the  scene 
near  the  auto-stage  remained  in  view. 

"I'll  wager  that  stand  keeper  is  mad/*  said 
Jack. 

"And  what  a  beautiful  coat  old  Lemm  has, 
with  the  tail  torn  to  ribbons  P*  Fred  added. 

"Oh,  I  think  you  boys  are  simply  dreadful!" 
cried  Mary,  but  she  smiled  as  she  spoke. 

"Don't  you  think  you  were  rather  hard  on  the 
professor?"  questioned  Martha  dubiously. 

"No,  I  don't !"  answered  Andy  promptly.  "He 
treated  us  as  mean  as  dirt  while  he  was  at  Colby 
Hall.  He  was  more  than  stern — he  was  thor 
oughly  unreasonable !  That's  why  Colonel  Colby 
discharged  him." 

"And  please  to  remember  how  he  backed  up 
Slugger  Brown's  father  on  Snowshoe  Island," 
added  Randy.  "He  was  perfectly  witling  to 

142 


BACK  AT  COLBY  HALL 

swindle  old  Barney  Stevenson  out  of  his  property. 
He  deserves  no  sympathy." 

The  remainder  of  the  journey  to  Haven  Point 
passed  without  special  incident  The  boys  and 
the  girls  had  sent  word  ahead  that  they  were  com 
ing,  and  when  they  reached  the  town  they  found 
Bob  Nixon  there  with  one  of  the  Colby  Hall 
turnouts,  and  also  a  driver  with  a  stage  from  the 
girls'  school. 

"Well,  here  is  where  we  part  and  get  back  to 
the  grind,"  said  Fred,  after  he  and  Jack  had 
placed  their  sisters'  baggage  in  the  proper  car. 

"Good  luck  to  both  of  you  girls!"  cried  Jack. 

The  girls  were  soon  started  off  in  one  direc 
tion,  and  then  the  boys  started  off  in  the  other. 
The  latter  were  still  some  distance  from  Colby 
Hall  when  they  saw  Spouter  Powell  and  Gif  Gar 
rison  approaching  on  foot. 

"Glad  to  see  you  back!"  cried  Spouter,  as  he 
climbed  into  the  machine. 

"We've  got  great  news,"  announced  Gif,  his 
eyes  beaming. 

"Our  fathers  have  volunteered  for  the  war!" 
broke  out  Spouter. 

"Really?"  came  from  the  Rover  boys. 

AH  were  much  interested,  although  Andy  and 
Randy  looked  a  trifle  disturbed.  The  fact  that 
their  own  lather  would  have  to  remain  behind 


144        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

while  all  of  the  others  were  going  to  the  front 
was  continually  in  the  minds  of  the  twins.  They 
felt  much  disappointed. 

"When  did  you  get  the  news?"  questioned 
Jack. 

"It  came  in  by  the  first  mail  this  morning,"  re 
turned  Spouter.  "I  got  a  letter,  and  so  did  Gif. 
My  father  and  Mr.  Garrison  are  both  going  to  do 
their  best  to  join  the  crowd  from  Putnam  Hall 
and  Brill  College." 

Of  course  the  Rovers  wanted  to  know  more 
particulars,  and  they  were  given  so  far  as  Spouter 
and  Gif  knew  them. 

"And  we've  got  more  news,  too,"  announced 
Gif.  "They've  finally  settled  on  the  place  where 
we  are  to  have  our  annual  encampment." 

"And  where  will  that  be?"  asked  Randy 
eagerly. 

"We're  to  go  to  Barlight  Bay  on  the  Atlantic 
coast.  It's  quite  a  distance  from  here." 

"Barlight  Bay !"  exclaimed  Jack.  And  then  he 
looked  inquiringly  at  Fred.  "Isn't  that  in  the 
vicinity  of  Camp  Huxwell?" 

"Sure  it  is!"  answered  Fred.  "They  are  al 
most  side  by  side." 

"I  asked  about  that,"  said  Spouter;  "and  Cap 
tain  Dale  told  me  that  our  camp  and  the  govern 
ment  camp  will  be  not  very  far  apart.  There 


BACK  AT  COLBY  HALL  145 

is  a  thick  belt  of  timber  and  some  rocky  land  be 
tween." 

"Why  then,  we'll  be  close  to  our  fathers !"  cried 
Fred  joyfully.  "This  suits  me  right  down  to  the 
ground!"  and  his  face  showed  his  delight. 

"Gee,  I  wish  we  were  going  under  canvas  to 
morrow!"  sighed  Jack. 

The  next  day  found  the  Rovers  deep  in  their 
studies.  The  examinations  previous  to  the  an 
nual  encampment  were  now  close  at  hand,  and  all 
were  anxious  to  make  a  good  showing. 

"Because,  you  see,  it's  this  way,"  said  Jack  to 
his  cousins,  and  especially  to  the  fun-loving  twins. 
"We  didn't  come  here  merely  to  cut  up  and  have 
a  good  time.  Our  folks  sent  us  to  Colby  Hall  so 
that  we  would  settle  down  and  get  good  educa 
tions.  If  we  don't  make  a  good  showing,  you 
know  how  disappointed  every  one  of  them  will 
be." 

"Oh,  I'm  going  to  study  like  an  Indian,"  an 
swered  Andy  quickly.  "I'm  going  to  cut  out 
every  bit  of  horseplay  until  after  the  examinations 
are  over." 

"And  so  am  I,"  added  Randy. 

And,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  twins  kept 
their  word,  and  as  a  result,  when  the  examinations 
were  held  for  the  term,  both  came  through  with 
asarkings  which  were  exceedingly  gratifying. 


146        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

Jack  and  Fred  likewise  did  very  well,  for  which 
they  were  thankful.  They  telephoned  the  results 
to  their  sisters,  and  got  back  word  from  Clear- 
water  Hall  that  Martha  and  Mary  were  also  com 
ing  through  finely. 

"And  what  about  Ruth  and  May?"  questioned 
Jack,  who  was  on  the  'phone,  with  Fred  beside 
him. 

"Ruth  is  at  the  head  of  the  class,"  announced 
Martha,  over  the  telephone.  "May  will  stand 
third  or  fourth." 

"Then  give  them  both  our  congratulations," 
said  Jack. 

"And  also  our  best  regards,"  added  Fred, 
crowding  his  cousin  to  one  side. 

"Hold  the  wire  a  minute  and  you  can  talk  to 
them  yourselves,"  said  Martha.  And  a  minute 
later  Jack  was  talking  to  Ruth  and  later  still  Fred 
managed  to  get  in  a  few  words  with  May. 

Following  the  examinations,  Colonel  Colby 
called  the  entire  school  together,  and  then  an 
nounced  that  he  was  going  to  take  his  departure 
for  Camp  Huxwell  and  would  leave  the  scholars 
in  charge  of  Captain  Dale  and  Professors  Graw- 
son  and  Brice. 

**I  am  sorry  to  leave  you,"  announced  the  colo 
nel,  "but  I  have  accepted  the  call  of  our  country 
And  shall  go  to  the  training  camp  without  further 


BACK  AT  COLBY  HALL  147 

delay.  But  you  all  know  Captain  Dale  very  well, 
and  I  feel  sure  that  you  will  be  glad  to  learn  that 
he  will  have  charge  during  the  annual  encamp 
ment.  He  will  be  assisted  by  the  professors  and 
some  others,  and  all  arrangements  have  been  per 
fected  for  making  this  outing  a  great  success. 

"With  talk  of  war  filling  the  air,  we  shall  try 
to  show  what  Colby  Hall  can  do  in  the  way  of 
first-class  military  training.  Captain  Dale  will 
see  to  it  that  you  are  given  an  opportunity  to 
show  what  you  can  do  at  target  and  bayonet  prac 
tice,  and  in  marching  and  other  camp  activities. 
There  will,  of  course,  be  the  usual  athletic  con 
tests,  and  as  you  are  going  down  to  the  coast,  you 
will  likewise  have  an  opportunity  to  make  use  of 
the  water." 

Here  the  colonel  paused,  and  there  was  a  faint 
handclapping,  quickly  followed  by  a  generous 
round  of  applause. 

"Evidently  you  all  like  the  idea  of  going  in 
camp  near  the  water,"  said  Colonel  Colby,  smil- 


It's  dandy?"  called  out  Andy,  and  at  this  there 
was  a  general  laugh. 

"Before  you  depart  for  Camp  Barlight,  as  the 
place  will  be  called,  Captain  Dale  will  hold  the 
annual  election  of  officers.  As  the  old  cadets  here 
know,  no  cadet  who  has  not  been  at  this  school 


148        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

for  at  least  six  months  can  hold  any  office  in  the 
battalion.  Apart  from  that  rule,  the  cadets  can 
make  up  their  tickets  to  suit  themselves.  You 
will  first  vote  for  a  major,  then  for  three  cajv- 
tains,  one  each  for  Companies  A,  B,  and  C,  and 
then  for  two  lieutenants  for  each  company.  The 
other  officers,  including  the  quartermaster,  will 
be  selected  by  Captain  Dale  and  the  professors. 

"And  now,  young  gentlemen,  I  must  bid  you 
good-bye,  and  I  trust  that  you  have  a  good  time 
during  the  encampment.  As  I  expect  to  be  at 
Camp  Huxwell  for  some  weeks  at  least,  I  shall 
probably  have  the  opportunity  from  time  to  time 
of  coming  over  to  see  how  you  are  getting  along." 

Colonel  Colby  bowed  and  stepped  back,  and 
again  there  was  a  round  of  applause.  In  the 
midst  of  this  Major  Ralph  Mason  arose  and 
walked  to  the  front. 

"Colonel  Colby,"  he  said  hi  a  loud  voice,  as 
soon  as  the  applause  had  subsided,  "in  the  name 
of  the  battalion  which  I  have  the  honor  to  com 
mand,  I  wish  to  thank  you  for  all  your  kindness 
to  us  as  students  here,  and  we  trust  you  will  ac 
cept  our  best  wishes  for  good  luck  to  you  in  the 
course  you  are  taking.  We  feel  sure  that  with 
such  men  as  you  in  our  army  Uncle  Sam  is  bound 
to  help  very  materially  in  winning  this  World 
War. 


BACK  AT  COLBY  HALL  149 

"And  now,  sir,  as  a  token  of  our  esteem,  and 

also  as  a  reminder  of  what  we  hope  you  will  do 

to  the  enemy,  allow  me,  sir,  in  the  name  of  all 

the  cadets  of  Colby  Hall,  to  present  you  with 

!this." 

As  the  young  major  concluded  he  drew  from 
behind  him  a  leather  case  which  he  sprung  open 
as  he  presented  it  to  the  astonished  mas-ter  of  the 
institution.  There,  in  the  case,  rested  a  very  fine 
automatic  pistol,  its  polished  handle  engraved 
with  Colonel  Colby's  name  and  also  the  fact  that 
it  was  presented  to  him  by  the  school,  with  the 
date.  The  hat  had  been  passed  around  among  the 
boys  for  contributions  to  this  gift,  and  every  cadet 
had  given  something. 

Though  the  colonel  was  much  astonished,  he 
was  likewise  greatly  pleased  at  this  evidence  of 
their  friendliness  and  interest  in  him,  and  he  ac 
cepted  the  gift  in  a  few  words  which  showed  his 
emotion. 

"If  I  ever  get  to  France  this  automatic  shall 
go  with  me,"  he  announced.  "And  yom  can  rest 
assured  that  if  ever  the  opportunity  comes,  the 
weapon  shall  render  a  good  account  for  itself." 
And  following  these  remarks  there  was  another 
round  of  applause,  and  then  the  school  was  dis 
missed. 

Of  course  the  boys  had  known  about  the  an- 


150        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

nual  election  for  a  long  time,  and  there  had  been 
a  good  deal  of  wire-pulling  over  the  question  of 
candidates  for  the  various  offices.  It  was  felt 
by  many,  including  the  Rovers,  that  Ralph  Mason 
should  remain  the  major  of  the  school  battalion, 
because  he  was  so  well  liked  and  was  such  a  thor 
oughly  good  officer.  It  was  also  felt  that  the 
captains  of  Company  A  and  Company  B  should 
remain,  and  likewise  several  of  the  lieutenants. 
"What  we  want  most  is  a  new  captain  for 
Company  C,"  said  Spouter. 

"Yes,  and  we  want  two  lieutenants  for  that 
company,  too,"  put  in  Walt  Baxter. 

"And  the  whole  company  wants  to  be  jacked 
up,"  added  Don  Soppinger.  "The  way  they  have 
been  drilling  has  been  a  disgrace  to  this  school. 
They  don't  do  half  as  well  as  the  other  com 
panies." 

"Well,  you  must  remember  one  thing,"  said 
Jack.  "Company  C  was  formed  long  after  they 
had  Company  A  and  Company  B.  That  com 
pany  always  got  all  the  new  fellows,  and  you 
can't  expect  new  cadets  to  do  as  well  as  the  old 
ones." 

"Yes,  but  now  that  they  are  getting  ready  to 
form  a  Company  D,  the  fellows  in  Company  C 
ought  to  be  jacked  up,"  said  Fatty  Hendry. 
"They  need  it" 


BACK  AT  COLBY  HALL  151 

"Say,  Fatty,  do  you  want  to  become  an  officer 
of  them?"  queried  Randy  slyly. 

"Weil,  I  wouldn't  mind  the  job,"  answered  the 
stout  cadet.  "I  think  I  could  boss  'em  around  a 
,  little  better  than  Phil  Huber  did."  Huber  had 
been  the  former  captain,  but  he  had  left  the  school, 
and  the  command  was  now  in  charge  of  the  first 
lieutenant,  a  fellow  named  Gabe  Werner. 

Now  it  chanced  that  Lieutenant  Werner  was 
not  very  well  liked  at  Colby  Hall.  He  was  a  tall, 
angular  youth,  with  watery  blue  eyes  and  straw- 
colored  hair,  and  he  had  a  general  manner  about 
him  which  was  anything  but  inviting.  How  he 
had  ever  gotten  to  be  a  lieutenant  of  the  cadets 
was  a  mystery. 

"I  think  they'll  dump  Lieutenant  Werner,"  re 
marked  Fred.  "I  don't  believe  anybody  wants 
him  for  an  officer  again." 

"I  guess  you're  right,"  answered  Dan  Sop- 
pinger.  "If  anybody  at  all  voted  for  Werner,  it 
would  be  Bill  Glutts." 

"Well,  Glutts  isn't  any  better  than  Werner," 
was  Jack's  reply.  "He's  a  regular  blockhead,  in 
tny  opinion." 

Glutts  was  a  youth  who  had  come  from  the 
Middle  West,  and  it  was  said  that  his  father  was 
in  the  wholesale  butcher  business.  He  was  a 
broad-shouldered,  beefy-looking  youth,  with 


152 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 


prominent  front  teeth  and  a  face  that  was  far 
from  inviting. 

"Say,  Jack,  why  don't  you  run  for  captain?" 
queried  Gif.  "I'm  sure  our  whole  crowd  would 
stand  by  you." 

"Oh,  I  don't  know,  Gif,"  returned  Jack  modest 
ly.  "I  didn't  expect  to  become  an  officer  yet. 
Let  some  of  the  older  cadets  take  hold.  You 
might  run  yourself." 

"No,  I  don't  think  I  want  the  job,"  answered 
Gif. 

"Maybe  you'd  like  it,  Spouter?"  said  Jack. 

"No,  I'll  give  it  up  in  your  favor,  Jack,"  was 
the  prompt  response.  Spouter  looked  at  the  as 
sembled  crowd.  "Say,  fellows,  what  do  you  think 
of  it?  Shall  we  put  up  Jack  Rover  for  captain 
of  Company  C?" 

"Sure!" 

"Jack  will  be  sure  to  run  well !" 

So  the  comments  ran  on,  and  almost  before  he 
knew  it,  Jack  had  been  nominated  by  his  friends 
for  the  position  of  captain  of  Company  C.  Then 
began  an  animated  discussion  over  the  other 
offices  to  be  filled,  and  a  little  later  Fred  wa« 
nominated  for  a  lieutenancy. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE   ELECTION   FOR   OFFICERS 

"JACK,  I  hope  you  win  out  in  that  election," 
said  Fred,  after  the  conference  had  come  to  an 
end  and  the  cadets  had  dispersed. 

"I  hope  you  win  out,  too,  Fred,"  was  the  quick 
reply. 

"I  think  if  anybody  has  a  job  to  get  elected,  it 
will  be  you,  Jack,"  came  from  Randy.  "You 
can  bet  your  bottom  dollar  that  Gabe  Werner 
will  make  every  effort  to  secure  that  office.*' 

"Well,  as  he  is  acting  captain  now,  perhaps  he 
deserves  it,"  answered  Jack  slowly. 

"He  deserves  nothing!"  came  promptly  from 
Andy.  "He's  a  regular  bear.  He  never  has  any 
consideration  whatever  for  the  cadets  under  him. 
Why,  only  last  week  it  made  my  blood  boil  the 
way  he  treated  a  couple  of  new  fellows.  Of 
course,  they  didn't  know  what  he  wanted,  but 
that's  no  reason  why  he  should  howl  at  'em  the 
way  he  did.  If  he  had  done  that  to  me,  I'd  hare 
thrown  my  gtm  at  his  head." 

153 


154        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

What  had  been  said  about  Gabe  Werner's  am 
bition  to  become  the  regular  captain  of  Company 
C  was  true.  The  angular  lieutenant  was  of  the 
opinion  that  the  place  belonged  to  him,  and  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  tell  this  to  all  those  with  whom 
he  was  intimate. 

Now  that  Slugger  Brown  and  Nappy  Martell 
had  left  Colby  Hall  for  good,  Henry  Stowell  had 
established  himself  as  a  satellite  of  Werner,  do 
ing  all  the  mean  little  jobs  the  big  cadet  desired. 

"Of  course  you'll  be  elected,"  declared  Codfish 
to  the  lieutenant,  when  the  talk  over  the  coming 
election  was  rife.  "The  place  belongs  to  you." 

"Sure  it  does,"  answered  Gabe  Werner  read 
ily.  "But  I  suppose  I've  got  to  work  like  the  rest 
of  the  candidates  if  I  want  it,"  he  added,  heaving 
a  deep  sigh.  Werner  was  lazy  by  nature,  and  he 
did  not  like  the  idea  of  electioneering,  any  more 
than  he  did  the  idea  of  studying. 

"I'll  tell  you  what  you  ought  to  do,  Gabe,"  said 
Bill  Glutts.  "You  ought  to  give  the  boys  a  spread, 
or  treat  them  to  an  entertainment  in  town.  That 
would  nail  the  captaincy  for  you." 

This  idea  pleased  Werner,  and,  as  a  result,  that 
night  he  invited  all  the  cadets  he  dared  to  ap 
proach  to  the  moving-picture  theater  at  Haven 
Point.  A  crowd  of  about  thirty  accepted  this  in 
vitation,  and  they  not  only  went  to  the  show,  but 


THE  ELECTION  FOR  OFFICERS 


155 


later  on  dined  at  one  of  the  restaurants  at  Gabe's 
expense. 

"That  sort  of  thing  makes  me  tired/'  declared 
Spouter,  when  he  heard  of  this.  "Why,  the  poor 
fish  is  trying  to  buy  votes!" 

At  first  Dan  Soppinger  had  said  that  he  did 
not  care  to  run  for  the  captaincy,  but  a  number 
of  his  friends  insisted  that  he  allow  his  name  to 
be  put  up,  and  finally  he  consented.  Others  went 
to  Walt  Baxter  and  told  him  that  he  must  run, 
too. 

"You've  simply  got  to  do  it,  Baxter,"  said  Ned 
Lowe.  "If  you  don't,  some  of  the  fellows  who 
might  vote  for  you  will  go  over  to  Werner,  and 
he'll  have  a  walkover  from  the  start." 

"All  right  then,  if  you  want  me  to  stand  I'll 
do  it,"  said  Walt.  "Just  the  same,  I  think  Jack 
Rover  ought  to  have  it,  and  I'm  going  to  vote  for 
him." 

The  voting  was  to  be  held  on  the  following 
Saturday,  and  on  Monday  morning  the  cadets 
were  to  leave  Colby  Hall  for  Camp  Barlight. 
Consequently  between  getting  ready  to  vote  and 
preparing  for  the  encampment,  all  of  the  students 
were  unusually  busy. 

The  election  was  held  in  the  main  hall  of  the 
school,  and  was  presided  over  by  Captain  Dale 
and  Professor  Brice.  It  was  announced  that  the 


156        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

total  number  of  votes  to  be  cast  would  be  in 
and  the  number  necessary  for  a  choice  would 
consequently  be  56. 

"We  will  ballot  for  the  major  and  the  three 
captains  separately,"  announced  Captain  Dale. 
"Then  we  will  have  the  balloting  for  the  lieuten 
ants." 

The  electing  of  a  major  for  the  next  term 
proved  easy.  Ralph  Mason  obtained  ninety-one 
votes  on  the  first  ballot  and  was  consequently  de 
clared  reflected. 

"Hurrah  for  Major  Ralph  Mason!"  cried  one 
of  the  cadets,  and  the  cheers  were  given  with  a 
will. 

Then  followed  the  balloting  for  the  captain  of 
Company  A  and  the  captain  of  Company  B,  and 
they  were  likewise  reflected,  and  there  was  more 
cheering. 

"We  will  now  ballot  for  a  captain  for  Com 
pany  C,"  announced  Captain  Dale. 

There  was  a  murmur,  and  the  cadets  once  more 
formed  a  long  line  and  marched  up  to  the  plat 
form,  where  each  deposited  his  ballot  in  a  big 
box,  located  there  for  that  purpose. 

There  was  a  smug  grin  on  the  face  of  Gabe 
Werner  when  he  dropped  in  his  vote.  It  seemed 
to  show  that  he  felt  sure  of  being  elected. 

A   few   minutes   of   silence   occurred,   during 


THE  ELECTION  FOR  OFFICERS  157 

which  time  the  votes  were  being  tabulated,  and 
then  Professor  Brice  struck  a  bell  to  attract  the 
attention  of  the  cadets,  and,  stepping  forward, 
read  the  result  : 

"Total  number  of  votes in 

Necessary  to  a  choice 56 

Gabe  Werner  has 32 

Jack  Rover  has 32 

Daniel  Soppinger  has 30 

Walter  Baxter  has 17." 

At  this  there  was  a  murmur  of  voices,  and  all 
the  cadets  looked  at  each  other. 

"As  no  candidate  has  received  the  required 
number  of  votes,  I  will  leave  you  for  ten  minutes 
to  talk  matters  over  among  yourselves,  and  then 
we  will  have  another  vote,"  announced  Captain 
Dale. 

"Say,  Jack!  what  do  you  know  about  that?" 
cried  Fred.  "You  and  Werner  are  tied  for  first 
place!" 

At  this  moment  Walt  Baxter  came  up. 

"Listen,  Jack,"  he  said  in  a  low  voice.  "I 
voted  for  you,  and  I  would  just  as  lief  withdraw 
in  your  favor,  but  some  of  the  fellows  who  voted 
for  me  say  if  I  withdraw  they  will  vote  for  Wer 
ner,  so  I'll  have  to  stay  on  the  ticket.  But  it's 


158        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

a  blamed  shame !"  and  Walt's  face  showed  that  he 
meant  what  he  said. 

"Say,  Bill,  we've  got  to  get  a  hustle  on  and  get 
more  votes,"  growled  Gabe  Werner  to  his  crony, 
as  they  walked  over  to  a  corner. 

"I  don't  see  how  we're  going  to  do  it.  I've 
talked  to  every  fellow  in  the  school,"  said  Glutts. 

"I'm  entitled  to  this  captaincy,  and  if  they 
won't  give  it  to  me  I  don't  want  anything," 
growled  Gabe  Werner.  It  angered  him  to  think 
that  in  spite  of  all  the  money  he  had  spent  he 
could  muster  up  only  thirty-two  votes. 

While  this  was  going  on,  Dan  Soppinger  had 
been  circulating  among  those  who  had  been  sup 
porting  him.  Dan  was  gratified  over  the  showing 
he  had  made,  but  he  did  not  want  the  position. 
Now  he  came  up  and  announced  that  he  was  go 
ing  to  withdraw. 

"I'm  withdrawing  in  favor  of  Jack  Rover," 
he  declared  in  a  loud  voice,  and  went  around  the 
hall  repeating  this  statement  "I  want  every 
body  who  voted  for  me  to  vote  for  Jack." 

"Not  much  we  won't!"  cried  one  cadet.  "If 
you  won't  run,  we'll  vote  for  Walt  Baxter." 

"We  want  Bart  White  to  run !"  put  in  another 
cadet. 

"All  right,  suit  yoursdves,"  said  Dan,  with  a 
shrug  of  his  shoulders.  "Just  the  same,  I'm  out 


THE  ELECTION  FOR  OFFICERS  159 

of  it,  so  I  don't  want  anybody  to  vote  for  me 
again." 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  the  call  came 
for  the  next  ballot,  and  once  again  the  cadets  filed 
up  and  placed  their  slips"  of  paper  in  the  box. 
Then  the  counting  began  and  was  soon  finished. 
Both  Captain  Dale  and  Professor  Brice  seemed 
to  be  much  disturbed  over  something  that  had 
occurred,  and  the  bell  for  silence  rang  out 
sharply. 

"This  ballot  cannot  be  counted !"  declared  Cap 
tain  Dale,  in  a  stern  voice.  "There  are  but  one 
hundred  and  eleven  cadets  present,  but  one  hun 
dred  and  fifteen  votes  have  been  cast,  showing 
that  some  person  or  persons  voted  more  than 
once.  You  will  immediately  prepare  new  votes 
and  stand  in  one  long  line,  handing  each  vote  to 
me  as  you  come  up." 

"Gee!  what  do  you  know  about  that?"  whis 
pered  Randy. 

"I  wager  some  of  the  Werner  crowd  did  that," 
remarked  his  twin. 

"How  foolish  to  do  anything  of  that  sort," 
said  Jack.  "They  ought  to  have  known  they 
couldn't  get  away  with  it." 

"Maybe  they  thought  because  Dan  Soppinger 
retired  some  of  the  fellows  wouldn't  vote,"  sug 
gested  Fred. 


160        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Well,  if  they  thought  that,  they  got  left." 
The  next  vote  proved  correct  so  far  as  num 
bers  went,  and  once  more  the  figures  were  an- 
nouncedj 

"Number  necessary  to  a  choice 56 

Jack  Rover  has 54 

Gabe  Werner  has 30 

Walter  Baxter  has 20 

Bart  White  has 7." 

"Hurrah,  Jack,  you're  going  up!"  cried  Fred 
enthusiastically. 

"You're  only  two  votes  shy  of  a  choice,"  said 
Randy. 

"I  guess  you  would  have  been  elected  if  Bart 
White  hadn't  gone  on  the  ticket,"  returned 
Spouter. 

At  that  moment  both  Walt  Baxter  and  Bart 
White  came  rushing  up  to  Jack. 

"I'm  going  to  retire  in  your  favor,  Jack,"  said 
Walt. 

"So  am  I,"  declared  Bart. 

"Well,  now,  I  didn't  expect  this,"  stammered 
Jack,  hardly  knowing  what  to  say. 

"I  can't  get  it  anyway,"  declared  Walt,  "and 
as  Werner  is  falling  behind,  I  think  it's  perfectly- 
safe  now  to  withdraw." 


THE  ELECTION  FOR  OFFICERS  161 

"And  I  only  went  in  to  keep  the  votes  from 
going  to  Werner,"  declared  Bart. 

Both  of  these  cadets  hustled  around  among 
their  supporters  and  let  all  in  the  Hall  know  that 
they  were  withdrawing  from  the  contest. 

In  the  meantime  Gabe  Werner  and  his  cronies 
circulated  among  the  crowd,  and  it  was  after 
wards  said  that  Werner  even  went  so  far  as  to 
attempt  to  buy  some  votes,  but  without  avail. 

Then  the  next  ballot  was  called  for,  and  it  was 
quickly  cast. 

"We  have  at  last  reached  a  result,"  announced 
Captain  Dale.  "And  I  am  glad  of  it."  And  then 
he  read  the  figures. 

"Total  number  of  votes  cast 1 1 1 

Necessary  to  a  choice 56 

Jack  Rover  has 81 

Gabe  Werner  has 3°-" 

"Hurrah!  Jack  Rover  is  elected  captain  of 
Company  C !"  and  a  great  cheer  went  throughout 
the  hall. 

"He  got  all  the  votes  that  were  cast  ior  Bax 
ter  and  White !"  cried  Fred. 

"Right  you  are!"  added  Gif.  "Gabe  Werner 
did  not  get  a  single  vote  more  than  he  had  be 
fore." 


162        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"And  that  was  two  less  than  he  got  at  the 
start,"  added  Spouter. 

"I  hereby  declare  Jack  Rover  duly  elected  cap 
tain  of  Company  C  for  the  ensuing  term,"  said 
Captain  Dale.  "Captain  Rover,  if  you  will  come 
forward,  I  shall  be  glad  to  shake  hands  with 
you,"  he  added.  And  then,  as  Jack  walked  to  the 
platform  to  grasp  the  instructor's  hand,  there  was 
a  great  burst  of  applause. 

"Never  mind,  Gabe.  We'll  make  you  lieuten 
ant  again,  anyway,"  declared  Bill  Glutts,  while 
this  scene  was  being  transacted. 

"I  don't  want  to  be  lieutenant  again !"  howled 
Gabe.  "If  they  don't  want  me  for  a  captain,  they 
needn't  have  me  for  anything.  I'll  decline  to 
run !"  And  thus  speaking,  Gabe  Werner  marched 
out  of  the  room  in  great  disgust. 

"He  sure  is  a  sweet  one!"  was  Gif's  comment. 

A  little  while  later  it  was  announced  that  the 
balloting  for  lieutenants  would  begin.  The  names 
of  eight  aspirants  were  put  up,  including  that  of 
Fred  Rover.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  wire 
pulling,  and  it  took  nine  ballots  to  decide  the  va 
rious  choices.  But  in  the  end  Fred  became  the 
first  lieutenant  of  the  company  of  which  Jack  had 
been  made  captain. 

"Good  for  you,  Fred!  I  congratulate  you!" 
cried  Jack,  catching  his  cousin  by  the  hand. 


THE  ELECTION  FOR  OFFICERS  163 

"I  guess  we'll  all  do  that,"  declared  Randy. 

"Three  cheers  for  Lieutenant  Fred  Rover!" 
exclaimed  Spouter,  and  the  cheers  were  given  with 
great  heartiness,  for  Fred  had  made  himself  a 
favorite  throughout  the  school. 

"And  now  to  get  ready  to  go  to  Camp  Bar- 
light  !"  said  Andy.  "My,  but  won't  we  have  the 
best  times  ever  while  we  are  under  canvas !" 

"I  hope  we  do,"  answered  Jack. 

But  a  little  later  the  newly-elected  captain  be 
came  somewhat  doubtful  of  this.  As  he  and  Fred, 
followed  by  the  twins,  went  upstairs  to  their 
rooms  they  passed  Gabe  Werner  and  his  cronies 
in  the  main  corridor.  The  angular  ex-lieutenant 
did  not  say  a  word,  but  he  glared  at  Jack  in  a 
baneful  way  that  boded  no  good. 

"Werner  has  got  it  in  for  you,  Jack,"  remarked 
Andy,  when  the  four  Rovers  were  in  their  rooms 
and  the  doors  had  been  closed. 

"I  guess  you're  right,"  was  Jack's  reply. 
"Well,  I'm  not  going  to  worry.  I  think  I  can 
take  care  of  myself." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

OFF   FOR   THE   ENCAMPMENT 

As  WAS  the  usual  custom  at  Colby  Hall,  all  of 
the  old  officers  and  those  newly  elected  were  in 
vited  to  participate  in  a  dinner  given  by  Captain 
Dale.  This  was  held  in  a  private  dining  room  of 
the  school,  and  was  usually  a  function  looked 
forward  to  with  much  pleasure  by  those  to  take 
part. 

"Now  we've  got  to  look  our  prettiest,"  an 
nounced  Fred  to  Jack.  "Of  course,  we'll  wear 
our  new  officers'  uniforms." 

The  dinner  proved  to  be  one  long  to  be  remem 
bered  by  the  two  Rover  boys,  and  they  were  sorry 
to  think  the  twins  had  not  been  present  to  see 
what  took  place.  There  were  some  speeches  and 
a  good  deal  of  merrymaking,  and  the  two  Rovers 
were  congratulated  over  and  over  again  on  hav 
ing  been  elected. 

"I'm  mighty  glad  to  think  you're  going  to  be 
at  the  head  of  Company  C,  Captain  Rover,"  said 
Major  Ralph  Mason.  "And  glad,  too,  that  your 
164 


OFF  FOR  THE  ENCAMPMENT  165 

cousin  Fred  is  going  to  be  a  lieutenant  of  that 
company.  I  shall  expect  great  things  from  both 
of  you." 

"Well,  I  intend  to  do  the  best  I  can,"  announced 
Jack  modestly. 

There  was  but  one  drawback  to  the  affair. 
Gabe  Werner  did  not  show  himself,  nor  did  he 
send  any  letter  of  regret  to  Captain  Dale. 

"Gabe  is  sore,  all  right  enough,"  declared  one 
of  the  under  officers.  "When  I  asked  him  if  he 
was  coming  to  the  spread,  he  merely  shook  his 
head  and  looked  like  a  thundercloud." 

Sunday  proved  rather  a  busy  day  for  all  of 
the  cadets,  yet  the  Rovers,  along  with  a  number 
of  others,  went  to  Haven  Point  where  they  met 
some  of  the  girls.  All  attended  services  at  one 
of  the  local  churches.  Then  the  young  folks 
paired  off,  the  boys  walking  with  the  girls  to 
Clearwater  Hall. 

"Oh,  Jack,  you  can't  think  how  proud  I  am  to 
know  they  have  made  you  a  captain !"  said  Ruth, 
who  was  walking  beside  the  newly-elected  officer. 
"And  I  think  you  ought  to  be  very  proud  your 
self." 

"I  admit  it  makes  me  feel  pretty  good,  Ruth," 
he  answered. 

"But  you'll  have  to  be  careful,"  went  on  the 
girl  anxiously.  "Randy  told  me  on  tRe  way  to 


1 66   THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

church  that  a  cadet  named  Werner  is  very  angry 
because  you  cut  him  out  of  one  of  the  cap 
taincies." 

"I'm  not  afraid  of  Werner  or  any  of  his 
crowd !" 

"Yes,  but  he  may  try  to  make  trouble,  Jack. 
Don't  forget  how  Brown  and  Martell  acted — and 
are  acting  still." 

"I  won't  forget,  Ruth."  And  then,  making 
sure  that  none  of  the  others  was  noticing,  he 
pressed  the  girl's  fingers  tightly  within  his  own. 
"It's  awfully  nice  to  have  you  so  interested,"  he 
whispered.  And,  although  she  did  not  answer 
to  this,  she  gave  him  a  bright  look  that  lingered 
in  his  memory  for  many  a  day  afterward. 

In  the  meantime  Fred  was  walking  along  with 
May  Powell,  and  had  also  been  congratulated  on 
attaining  a  lieutenancy.  May  was  full  of  fun, 
and  her  eyes  showed  it. 

"I  suppose  some  day  it  will  be  Major  Fred 
Rover!"  she  exclaimed.  "My,  won't  you  look 
grand  with  a  whole  lot  of  gold  lace,  and  a  cockade 
hat,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing!" 

"No  gold  lace  for  mine,  May!"  he  laughed. 

Spouter  and  Gif  were  walking  with  Martha 
and  Mary,  and  soon  the  whole  crowd  reached 
Clearwater  Hall.  Here  the  boys  had  to  say  good 
bye  to  the  girls,  and  this  was  rather  a  lingering 


OFF  FOR  THE  ENCAMPMENT  167 

process,  since  the  young  folks  did  not  know  ex 
actly  when  they  would  get  together  again. 

"But  don't  forget  we  expect  to  march  past  here 
to-morrow  morning  about  ten  o'clock,'*  said  Jack. 
"If  you  are  really  patriotic  you'll  be  watching  for 
us  and  have  your  flags  out." 

"Don't  you  worry  about  that,"  answered  Ruth. 
"We're  going  to  ask  Miss  Garwood  for  a  special 
recess  in  honor  of  the  occasion." 

The  evening  was  spent  by  the  boys  in  packing 
their  things  and  in  otherwise  getting  ready  for 
the  encampment.  There  was,  however,  the  usual 
song  service  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  assembly  room 
of  the  Hall,  on  this  occasion  presided  over  by  a 
minister  who  had  stopped  at  the  Hall  to  visit  his 
two  nephews,  who  were  pupils  there.  The  min 
ister  was  a  good  speaker,  and  he  made  an  address 
which  the  cadets  listened  to  with  close  attention. 

Early  in  the  morning  came  a  sound  that  told 
all  the  cadets  that  the  annual  encampment  was 
now  at  hand.  Instead  of  the  school  bell  ringing, 
there  were  the  notes  of  two  bugles  ringing  through 
the  corridors.  Then  from  outside  came  the  vigor 
ous  rattle  of  several  drums. 

"Hurrah !  No  more  studying !  From  now  on 
we  are  soldier  boys!"  exclaimed  Andy,  and  he 
bounced  out  of  bed.  "Get  up,  you  sleepyheads !" 
And  in  the  exuberance  of  his  spirits  he  threw  a 


168        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

pillow  at  his  twin's  head.  Randy  returned  the 
compliment  by  throwing  a  shoe  at  him,  hitting 
Andy  in  the  stomach. 

"Hi!  What's  this?"  exclaimed  Fred,  scram 
bling  up  at  the  confusion. 

"Over  the  top  at  the  Huns!"  shouted  Andy, 
charging  on  Randy  and  sending  him  backward 
into  a  stand  loaded  with  books.  "Forward,  the 
light  brigade,  and  on  to  the  gas  attack  P' 

"Hi!  You  fellows  are  making  altogether  too 
much  noise,"  came  from  Jack.  "Attention,  com 
pany!  Line  up!  Eyes  right!" 

"My!  but  don't  the  bugles  and  drums  sound 
fine  ?"  was  Fred's  comment,  as  he  hurried  into  his 
new  uniform,  of  which,  it  may  be  said  privately, 
he  was  exceedingly  proud. 

"I  suppose  we  won't  have  a  bit  of  fun  at  this 
outing,  with  a  captain  and  a  lieutenant  keeping 
their  eyes  on  us,"  grumbled  Andy ;  but,  of  course, 
he  did  not  mean  what  he  said. 

"Sure,  I'll  make  you  line  up  and  toe  the  chalk 
mark,"  answered  Jack,  with  a  grin.  "You  won't 
dare  to  call  your  souls  your  own.  If  you  in 
fringe  one  fixed  rule  the  sixteenth  of  an  inch,  I'll 
place  you  in  the  guardhouse." 

"Yes,  and  we'll  feed  you  on  nothing  but  dry 
t*ead  and  dry  water,"  added  Fred. 

"Good-night!"    came   solemnly   from   Randy. 


OFF  FOR  THE  ENCAMPMENT  169 

"Please  lead  me  to  the  dungeon  at  once !  What's 
the  use  of  looking  at  the  sunshine  and  trying  to 
smile!" 

It  had  been  decided  that  the  cadets  should 
march  to  Barlight  Bay,  which  was  about  thirty- 
five  miles  distant.  They  were  to  take  two  days 
for  the  journey,  stopping  over  night  on  the  out 
skirts  of  the  village  of  Rackville,  where  Captain 
Dale  had  already  rented  a  farm  field  for  that  pur 
pose.  All  of  their  belongings  were  to  be  trans 
ported  in  several  motor  trucks,  engaged  for  that 
purpose,  these  trucks  being  under  orders  from  the 
battalion  quartermaster. 

Of  course,  it  must  be  understood  by  my  young 
readers  that  Colby  Hall  was  only  a  military  school 
for  boys,  and  that  the  military  matters  there, 
while  conducted  somewhat  on  the  lines  of  those 
at  West  Point,  were  by  no  means  so  strict.  The 
officers,  from  the  young  major  down,  were  ex 
pected  to  do  their  duty  the  same  as  if  they  were 
at  a  government  camp,  but  all  were  under  the 
supervision  of  Captain  Dale  and  the  Hall  pro 
fessors. 

More  than  this,  the  boys  did  not  pretend  to  do 
any  of  the  camp  cooking  or  any  of  the  menial 
camp  labor,  this  being  accomplished  by  hired  help 
ers.  And  again,  the  officers  were  only  officers 
while  on  parade  or  during  special  hours  of  duty 


170        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

— otherwise  they  were  just  like  the  other  cadets 
and  were  treated  accordingly. 

There  was  the  usual  morning  roll  call,  and  also 
the  drill  and  inspection,  this  time  the  latter  being 
unusually  severe,  for  Captain  Dale  wanted  to 
make  sure  that  everything  was  right  before  the 
cadets  left  the  Hall.  The  parade  around  the 
grounds,  however,  was  omitted,  and  the  lads  went 
in  to  their  breakfast  half  an  hour  earlier  than 
usual.  Then  it  was  announced  that  they  would 
leave  the  Hall  at  exactly  nine  o'clock. 

At  the  roll  call  and  inspection  it  was  a  new 
thing  for  Jack  to  take  command  of  Company  C, 
and  for  Fred  to  fill  the  position  of  a  lieutenant; 
but  both  acquitted  themselves  creditably,  and  for 
this  received  a  nod  of  approval  from  Captain 
Dale. 

On  Sunday  evening  it  had  been  rumored  about 
that  Gabe  Werner  had  decided  not  to  attend  the 
encampment.  This  rumor  had  its  foundation  in 
the  fact  that  the  angular  ex-lieutenant  had  sent 
a  telegram  to  his  father  explaining  the  situation 
and  stating  he  wanted  to  come  home.  In  re 
turn,  however,  Mr.  Werner  commanded  his  son 
to  remain  at  Colby  Hall,  and  so,  much  against 
his  will,  Gabe  was  on  hand  when  the  cadets  were 
ready  to  march  a,vay. 

"But  I  ain't  going  to  do  anything  that  I  don't 


OFF  FOR  THE  ENCAMPMENT 


171 


want  to  do,"  growled  Gabe  to  Bill  Glutts.    "You 
just  wait  and  see!" 

"Maybe  you'll  get  a  chance  to  make  it  warm 
for  Jack  Rover  and  his  bunch,"  suggested  the 
wholesale  butcher's  son. 

"You  bet!"  answered  Werner  laconically. 

The  cadets  were  all  assembled  on  the  parade 
ground,  and  the  motor  trucks,  piled  high  with  all 
of  their  belongings,  as  well  as  the  camping  para 
phernalia,  had  already  left  the  grounds.  There 
was  a  final  rattle  of  drums  to  call  any  cadets  who 
might  still  be  missing. 

"Battalion  attention!"  commanded  the  young 
major,  after  he  had  received  his  orders  from 
Captain  Dale. 

At  once  the  three  companies  came  to  atten 
tion. 

"Shoulder  arms!"  came  the  command  a  few 
seconds  later.  "Forward — march!" 

Boom !  Boom !  Boom,  boom,  boom !  went  the 
drums,  and  the  Colby  cadets  stepped  off  gaily, 
while  the  professors  and  helpers  left  behind  at 
the  Hall  cheered  loudly  and  waved  their  hands. 
From  the  big  flagstaff  on  the  campus  floated  a 
large  American  flag,  this  being  run  up  every 
morning  at  sunrise  and  taken  down  at  sunset. 

Soon  the  drums  gave  a  preliminary  rattle,  and 
then  the  shrill  fifes  struck  up  into  a  lively  march- 


172        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

ing  air,  and  one  company  after  another  passed 
out  of  the  Hall  grounds  and  on  to  the  road  lead 
ing  to  Haven  Point. 

"Hay  foot,  straw  foot !"  murmured  Andy  jok 
ingly  to  Randy,  who  was  marching  by  his  side. 
"I  wonder  how  our  feet  will  feel  after  we  have 
covered  the  eighteen  miles  we  have  to  do  to 
day?" 

"Oh,  that  will  be  all  right,  I  think,"  answered 
his  twin.  "I've  done  more  than  eighteen  miles 
in  a  day,  and  so  have  you." 

It  did  not  take  long  for  the  cadets  to  reach  the 
outskirts  of  Haven  Point.  Their  coming  was 
expected,  and  quite  a  crowd  of  town  folks  were 
out  to  see  the  parade.  Some  few  had  put  out 
flags,  for  all  were  proud  to  have  such  an  institu 
tion  as  Colby  Hall  in  that  vicinity. 

The  moving-picture  theater  was  decorated  with 
flags  from  top  to  bottom,  and  across  the  street 
the  enterprising  manager  had  hung  a  big  banner 
inscribed  with  the  words : 

Good-bye 

COLBY  HALL 

Ha&e  a  good  time,  boys 

Captain    Dale    was    marching    beside    Major 
Mason,  and  as  the  school  came  in  sight  of  this 


OFF  FOR  THE  ENCAMPMENT  173 

banner  the  major  whispered  a  few  words  to  the 
elderly  military  man,  who  nodded  in  approval. 
Then  the  young  major  turned  and,  walking  back 
ward,  cried: 

"Battalion  attention!  Three  cheers  for  Mr. 
Felix  Falstein!" 

The  cheers  were  given  with  a  right  good  will, 
and  a  number  of  the  cadets  swung  their  caps  at 
the  manager  of  the  moving-picture  theater,  who 
stood  in  the  doorway,  smiling  at  them.  The 
cheer  had  been  totally  unexpected,  and  Mr.  Fal 
stein  grew  exceedingly  red  in  the  face.  But  he 
bowed  and  smiled,  and  kept  on  bowing,  in  the 
meantime  waving  his  hat  at  the  cadets,  until  they 
had  passed  up  the  street. 

Leaving  Haven  Point  behind,  and  with  a  gen 
erous  following  of  small  boys,  the  cadets  con 
tinued  their  march  by  taking  to  the  road  leading 
past  Clearwater  Hall.  Here  another  surprise 
awaited  them.  The  girls  of  the  school  had  strung 
long  lines  of  colored  paper  across  the  roadway, 
and  had  decorated  the  entire  front  of  the  school 
grounds  with  small  flags.  More  than  this,  all  of 
the  girls  were  out  in  a  long  line  facing  the  road 
way,  and  many  of  them  carried  flags  and  wore 
red,  white  and  blue  ribbons. 

"Good-bye!  Have  a  good  time!"  called  out 
Ruth. 


174        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Don't  forget  to  write!"  came  from  Martha. 

"Oh,  but  you  do  look  nice !"  called  May. 

And  then  there  was  such  a  babble  of  exclama 
tions  that  hardly  a  word  of  what  was  said  could 
be  understood.  And  in  the  midst  of  this  the  ca 
dets  gave  a  rousing  cheer  for  Clearwater  Hall 
and  everybody  connected  with  that  school. 

"Oh,  but  don't  they  look  lovely!"  cried  May, 
when  the  boys  had  passed.  "Did  you  see  Jack 
at  the  head  of  the  third  company?"  she  asked  of 
Ruth. 

"Why,  of  course!  And  he  certainly  looked 
every  inch  a  captain." 

"I  wish  I  were  a  boy  and  could  go  along!" 
sighed  Mary. 

"Oh,  I  guess  we  all  wish  that,"  declared  Ruth. 
"But  come — let  us  give  them  another  cheer !'? 
And  this  rent  the  air  just  as  the  cadets  reached  a 
turn  in  the  road  and  passed  out  of  sight. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A    NIGHT   ON   THE   ROAD 

'Tms  is  the  life,  boys!" 

"Ho  for  a  life  under  canvas !" 

"Beats  rooming  hi  a  school  all  hollow,  doesn't 
it?" 

"Exactly  so!  And  think — we  haven't  any 
studying  to  do.  Oh,  boy!"  and  Andy,  who  was 
the  speaker,  felt  so  light-hearted  that  he  turned 
several  cartwheels  on  the  grass. 

"Say,  you  look  out,  Andy,  or  somebody  will 
grab  you  and  put  you  in  the  circus,"  was  Spouter's 
comment. 

The  Colby  Hall  cadets  had  finished  their  first 
day's  march  and  were  now  in  camp  on  the  out 
skirts  of  Rackville.  They  had  made  the  hike 
without  mishap,  stopping  at  noon  for  lunch  along 
the  roadside. 

The  encampment  consisted  of  three  long  lines 
of  tents,  one  for  each  company.  As  was  the  usual 
practice,  the  cadets  had  erected  the  canrases  them 
selves,  doing  it  with  real  military  precision.  They 

175 


176        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

were  in  the  center  of  a  large,  sloping  field,  one 
end  of  which  bordered  the  road  running  into 
Rackville.  The  field  was  a  pasture  lot  belonging 
to  a  large  farm  owned  by  a  man  named  Oliver 
Appleby.  Appleby  owned  a  dairy  farm,  and  em 
ployed  about  a  dozen  hired  hands. 

"I  know  one  thing  we'll  get  here,"  remarked 
Fred,  after  a  look  around.  "We'll  probably  get 
all  the  milk  we  want  to  drink." 

And  in  this  surmise  he  was  correct.  Captain 
Dale  had  made  the  necessary  arrangements  with 
Oliver  Appleby,  and  that  evening  and  the  follow 
ing  morning  the  cadets  were  furnished  with  the 
best  of  cream  and  also  all  the  fresh  milk  they  de 
sired. 

After  the  setting  up  of  the  tents  came  supper, 
and  my  readers  can  rest  assured  that  none  of  the 
boys  were  "backward  about  coming  forward," 
as  Randy  expressed  it.  All  were  as  hungry  as 
wolves,  and  the  amount  of  food  they  stored  away 
was  simply  astonishing.  But  Captain  Dale  had 
received  orders  from  Colonel  Colby  that  the 
students  should  be  well  treated,  so  everybody  got 
all  he  wanted. 

"Gee!  this  is  so  different  from  a  school  I  used 
to  attend,"  remarked  Fatty  Hendry,  with  a  sigh 
of  satisfaction.  "At  that  place  we  only  got  about 
half  enough  to  eat,  and  many  a  time  I  had  to  go 


A  NIGHT  ON  THE  ROAD  177 

down  to  the  village  and  buy  something  extra  to 
keep  from  starvation." 

Having  spent  so  many  of  their  vacations  at  the 
old  Rover  homestead  at  Valley  Brook,  the  Rovers 
were  much  interested  in  the  Appleby  place,  and 
after  the  evening  meal  Jack  and  Fred  took  a  stroll 
up  to  the  cow  barns  to  inspect  the  herd.  Oliver  • 
Appleby  had  a  number  of  prize  cattle,  of  which 
he  was  very  proud. 

"They  are  certainly  beautiful  cows,"  remarked 
Fred,  when  they  were  walking  through  the  shed 
which  housed  the  best  of  the  herd.  "They  must 
have  cost  a  mint  of  money." 

The  two  young  officers  were  on  the  point  of 
leaving  the  cow  sheds  when,  quite  unexpectedly, 
they  ran  into  Jed  Kessler. 

"Hello!  I  thought  I'd  see  some  of  you  fel 
lers,"'  cried  the  old  dockman.  "Out  for  your  an 
nual  encampment,  I  understand." 

"Yes,"  answered  Jack.  "How  are  you  these 
days  ?  Have  you  got  over  the  effects  of  that  ex 
plosion  ?" 

"I'm  about  over  it— although  I  haven't  re 
turned  to  work  yet,"  answered  Kessler.  "You 
see,  those  awful  shocks,  and  being  thrown  into 
the  lake  that  way,  kind  of  got  on  my  nerves.  My 
folks  dont  want  me  to  go  back  until  I'm  feelin' 
stronger." 


178        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Have  they  resumed  work  at  the  shell-loading 
plant?"  questioned  Fred. 

"They're  startin'  up  to-day.  One  gang  is 
clearin'  up  the  wreckage,  while  a  number  of  the 
old  hands  are  at  work  in  the  places  that  wasn't 
damaged  very  much.  And  say!  I've  got  some 
thing  to  tell  you  that  I  know  you'll  be  interested 
to  hear,"  went  on  old  Jed  Kessler. 

"What  is  that?"  questioned  Jack. 

"I  saw  those  two  German-lookin'  fellers  again 
early  this  morning,  when  I  was  on  my  way  here 
to  visit  my  brother  who  works  on  this  farm." 

"You  did!"  cried  the  two  Rovers  simulta 
neously. 

"Where  were  they?"  added  Jack. 

"They  was  down  on  the  road  that  runs  to 
Barlight  Bay." 

"Walking?"  queried  Fred. 

"No,  they  was  in  an  old  wagon  pulled  by  the 
sorriest  lookin'  nag  I  ever  set  eyes  on.  They  had 
the  wagon  piled  high  with  packages." 

"Were  you  sure  they  were  the  same  men?" 

"I  think  they  was  the  same.  Of  course,  I 
wouldn't  like  to  swear  to  it  until  I  got  a  better 
look  at  'em.  They  was  just  goin'  past  as  I  came 
in  from  a  side  road,  and  as  soon  as  they  saw  me 
they  whipped  up  their  horse  and  started  down  the 
road  in  a  cloud  of  dust." 


A  NIGHT  ON  THE  ROAD 


179 


"You  ought  to  have  stopped  them,"  said  Jack. 

"How  could  I  do  that  ?  I  wasn't  close  enough 
to  catch  hold  of  the  horse.  And  besides  that, 
what  chance  would  an  old  feller  like  me  have 
against  two  husky  men?  More  than  likely,  too, 
they  was  armed,  while  I  didn't  have  anything — 
not  even  a  cane." 

"But  you  should  have  notified  the  authorities," 
said  Fred. 

"Oh,  I  did  that,  knowing  that  they  was  on  the 
lookout  for  those  fellers.  I  hurried  to  Rackville 
just  as  fast  as  I  could,  and  called  on  the  justice 
of  the  peace  and  the  town  constable.  Then  they 
got  busy  and  telephoned  to  the  next  town  and 
notified  the  police.  They  got  a  gang  of  six  or 
eight  men  lookin'  for  the  men  and  the  wagon,  but 
up  to  this  afternoon  they  hadn't  got  any  trace  of 
'em." 

"Well,  that  certainly  is  interesting,"  remarked 
Jack.  "You  say  you  are  pretty  sure  they  are  the 
same  fellows  who  were  around  the  plant  just  pre 
vious  to  the  explosion?" 

"Well,  as  I  said  before,  I  wouldn't  like  to 
swear  to  it  until  I  got  a  better  look  at  'em.  But 
those  two  fellers  on  the  wagon  had  the  same 
bushy  black  hair  and  whiskers  and  the  same  round 
faces.  More  than  that,  they  wore  the  same  slouch 
hats  that  the  other  fellers  had." 


l8o        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Have  you  any  idea  what  was  in  the  packages 
in  the  wagon?"  questioned  the  young  captain. 

"Sounded  to  me  as  if  it  might  be  iron,  or  some 
thing  like  that.  It  jangled  just  like  hardware." 

"It's  queer  they  would  be  on  that  back  road 
with  such  stuff,"  said  Jack  slowly.  "Did  the  folks 
at  Rackville  think  they  might  live  down  near  the 
bay?" 

"They  said  there  wasn't  any  folks  around  there 
so  far  as  they  knew  that  wore  bushy  black  hair 
and  black  beards.  They  knew  about  everybody 
who  lives  within  several  miles  of  here,"  answered 
Jed  Kessler. 

The  two  Rovers  talked  the  matter  over  with 
the  old  man  for  a  few  minutes  longer,  the  fore 
man  of  the  dairy  also  having  his  say.  Then  the 
boys  had  to  hurry  back  to  the  camp,  to  fulfill 
their  duties  as  captain  and  lieutenant. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  there  was  a  certain 
amount  of  horseplay  in  camp  that  evening  to 
which  those  in  charge  turned  something  of  a  blind 
eye. 

"We'll  have  to  leave  the  boys  let  off  steam  a 
little,"  said  Captain  Dale  to  the  professors  who 
had  come  with  him.  "I  think  they'll  soon  settle 
down  to  regular  routine." 

But  the  excitement  of  getting  ready  for  the  en 
campment,  and  the  long  tramp  over  the  dusty 


A  NIGHT  ON  THE  ROAD  jgj 

roads,  had  tired  all  of  the  cadets,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  the  great  majority  of  them  were 
ready  to  retire.  Only  a  few,  like  Andy  and 
Randy,  wanted  to  continue  the  fun,  but  Jack  and 
Fred  quickly  subdued  the  twins. 

"You'll  have  plenty  of  time  for  your  jokes 
when  we  get  into  the  regular  camp,"  said  the 
young  captain.  "Now  you  had  better  get  a  good 
night's  rest,  for  we  have  a  long  hike  before  us 
for  to-morrow — over  the  Lookout  Hills." 

As  members  of  Company  C,  Gabe  Werner  and 
Bill  Glutts  would  have  been  under  the  direct  com 
mand  of  Jack  and  Fred.  This  was  a  thorn  in 
the  side  of  the  ex-lieutenant,  and  as  soon  as  he 
had  received  word  from  home  that  he  must  re 
main  at  the  school  for  the  period  of  the  annual 
encampment,  he  went  to  Captain  Dale  and  asked 
to  be  transferred  to  another  company,  and  re 
quested  that  Glutts  be  transferred  also. 

"I  think  I  can  understand  your  feeling,  Wer 
ner,"  said  Captain  Dale  kindly.  "I  am  very  sorry 
that  you  refused  to  run  for  a  lieutenancy  after 
your  defeat.  Which  company  would  you  like  to 
go  in — A  or  B  ?" 

"If  it's  all  the  same  to  you,  Glutts  and  I  would 
like  to  go  into  Company  B." 

"Very  well.  I'll  have  the  necessary  shifts 
made,  and  you  can  report  to  the  captain  of  that 


182        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

company  before  we  start  away."  And  so  it  was 
arranged. 

"The  Rovers  ain't  going  to  get  me  under  their 
thumb!"  growled  Werner  to  Glutts.  "I  know 
they  would  like  nothing  better  than  to  find  all 
sorts  of  fault  and  to  get  me  into  trouble." 

This,  of  course,  was  not  true,  because  both  Jack 
and  Fred  had  decided  to  treat  the  defeated  candi 
date  with  every  consideration. 

"But  I'm  glad  they've  been  transferred,"  said 
Fred,  when  he  heard  the  news. 

"You're  not  half  as  glad  as  I  am,  Fred,"  an 
swered  the  young  captain. 

Jack  and  his  two  lieutenants  occupied  a  tent 
together,  while  Andy  and  Randy  were  under  can 
vas  with  Gif  and  Spouter.  The  night  was  a 
pleasant  one,  neither  too  hot  nor  too  cold,  and  it 
was  not  long  after  the  young  cadets  had  turned 
in  before  most  of  them  were  sound  asleep.  But 
not  so  Gabe  Werner  and  Bill  Glutts. 

During  the  halt  at  noon  for  lunch,  the  cronies 
had  held  an  animated  conversation,  and  this  talk 
had  been  continued  after  the  battalion  had  gone 
into  camp  for  the  night.  The  subject  of  their 
discussion  had  been  the  question  of  getting  square 
with  Jack  and  Fred  because  of  what  had  oc 
curred  during  the  election.  Werner  attributed 
his  downfall  entirely  to  the  Rovers. 


A  NIGHT  ON  THE  ROAD 

"I'll  show  'em  a  thing  or  two  before  I  get 
through  with  'em!"  he  asserted  to  his  croay. 
"They  can't  walk  all  orer  me  and  get  away  with 
it!" 

"Well,  Gabe,  you  know  I'll  be  on  deck  to  help 
you  in  anything  you  try  to  put  over  on  'em,"  re 
sponded  the  wholesale  butcher's  son. 

"Of  course  we'll  have  to  be  careful  what  we 
do,"  went  on  Werner.  "We  don't  want  to  run 
afoul  of  Captain  Dale  or  any  of  the  professors. 
If  we  did  they  might  set  us  some  awful  mean 
tasks  to  do  while  we  were  in  camp." 

"Yes,  we'll  have  to  be  on  our  guard  and  work 
on  the  sly." 

Neither  Werner  nor  Glutts  were  particularly 
brilliant  in  evolving  their  scheme,  but  finally  the 
ex-lieutenant  hit  upon  something  which  he 
thought  would  answer.  Then  he  told  his  crony 
of  what  had  occurred  to  him. 

"That's  the  talk!"  cried  Bill  Glutts,  his  eyes 
gleaming  wickedly.  "Let's  go  and  do  it  this  very- 
night,  just  as  soon  as  they  are  sound  asleep.  My, 
won't  there  be  some  rumpus  in  the  morning  when 
they  wake  up  and  find  out  what  has  happened?" 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

ONE    SURPRISE   AND   ANOTHER 

FRED  ROVER  was  so  tired  that  he  closed  his 
eyes  in  slumber  almost  as  soon  as  he  touched  his 
cot. 

But  not  so  the  young  captain.  Jack  was  fa 
tigued,  but  he  was  also  worried  over  some  of  the 
problems  connected  with  his  company,  and  these 
he  tried  to  solve  as  he  lay  there  in  the  darkness. 

As  the  cadets  were  to  remain  in  this  camp  for 
but  one  night  only,  nothing  had  been  done  toward 
putting  any  flooring  in  the  tents.  The  cots  of 
the  captain  and  the  two  lieutenants  rested  on  the 
short  grass  of  the  pasture.  More  than  this,  as 
the  night  was  rather  warm,  one  of  the  tent  flaps 
was  left  open  for  ventilation,  and  for  the  same 
purpose  a  corner  of  the  canvas  in  the  rear  was 
turned  up. 

As  all  of  the  cadets  had  tramped  the  distance 
from  Colby  Hall,  no  one  was  called  on  that  night 
to  remain  on  guard.  In  place  of  this  a  profes 
sor  who  had  ridden  over  in  an  automobile  agreed 
184 


ONE  SURPRISE  AND  ANOTHER  185 

to  sit  up  to  see  that  nothing  was  stolen  by  any 
outsiders  who  might  have  an  idea  of  doing  such 
a  thing. 

But  no  outsiders  appeared  in  view,  all  of  the 
curiosity  seekers  having  left  the  pasture  lot  be 
fore  it  came  time  for  the  cadets  to  turn  in.  As 
a  consequence,  the  professor  had  nothing  to 
watch,  and  soon  grew  exceedingly  sleepy.  Sit 
ting  in  the  tonneau  of  an  open  automobile,  he 
presently  began  to  nod,  and  then  his  head  fell 
forward  on  his  breast. 

Jack  had  thought  that  he  would  soon  drop  to 
sleep,  but  the  problems  in  his  mind  worried  him 
so  that  presently  he  found  himself  wide-awake 
in  spite  of  his  fatigue. 

"Confound  it!  why  can't  I  go  to  sleep?"  he 
murmured  to  himself.  Then,  punching  his  pil 
low  to  freshen  it  up,  he  turned  over  and  tried  his 
best  to  drop  off. 

He  was  just  on  the  edge  of  dreamland  when  a 
sound  from  outside  the  tent  attracted  his  atten 
tion.  At  first  he  thought  some  night  bird  or  a 
bat  might  be  flying  around.  But  then  came  a  low 
murmur  of  voices. 

"Somebody  is  up/'  he  thought.  "Perhaps  it  is 
Professor  Grawson  taking  a  walk  around.  He 
said  he  was  going  to  keep  an  eye  on  things  until 
morning." 


1 86   THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

Jack  lay  perfectly  still,  and  presently  saw  a 
ray  of  light  shoot  into  the  tent  from  the  rear.  It 
was  the  gleam  of  a  small  pocket  flashlight.  A 
thin  silk  handkerchief  was  over  the  end,  so  that 
the  light  was  quite  dim. 

"Sure  this  is  the  right  tent,  are  you?"  he  heard, 
in  a  low  tone. 

"Yes,  this  is  the  place,"  was  the  reply,  in  the 
faintest  of  whispers.  "Keep  quiet  now,  and  if 
there  is  any  alarm,  run  for  your  life." 

On  hearing  these  words,  the  young  captain  was 
puzzled  for  the  time  being.  But  then  he  realized 
that  the  voices  had  a  familiar  sound,  and  he 
smiled  grimly  to  himself. 

Slowly  and  cautiously  Gabe  Werner  and  Bill 
Glutts  wormed  their  way  into  the  tent  by  way  of 
the  opening  in  the  rear.  Gabe  had  the  flashlight, 
and  this  he  cast  from  one  side  to  another,  tak 
ing  care,  however,  that  the  rays  did  not  fall  into 
the  face  of  any  of  the  officers. 

Jack  kept  his  eyes  closed  when  the  marauders 
looked  at  him.  But  as  they  turned  around  he 
eyed  them  sharply.  A  line  had  been  strung  from 
the  front  to  the  rear  pole  of  the  tent,  and  on  this 
were  a  number  of  hangers  containing  the  three 
officers'  uniforms  and  some  of  their  other  be 
longings.  Stepping  up  to  the  uniforms,  the  two 
from  outside  looked  them  over  quickly.  Then 


ONE  SURPRISE  AND  ANOTHER  187 

Werner  pointed  to  one  uniform  and  to  another, 
to  signify  that  these  belonged  to  Jack  and  Fred. 

Not  a  word  was  spoken  by  those  who  had  come 
in  to  play  their  mean  trick  on  the  Rovers.     Si 
lently  each  drew  out  his  pocketknife  and  opened' 
one  of  the  blades. 

Werner's  scheme,  to  which  Glutts  had  agreed, 
was  to  cut  all  the  buttons  from  both  uniforms 
and  then  slit  the  garments  so  that  they  would  be 
next  to  useless.  Then  they  were  going  to  take 
the  other  belongings  of  the  young  captain  and 
the  lieutenant  and  throw  them  into  a  muddy  brook 
located  in  one  corner  of  the  pasture. 

Watching  the  marauders  as  a  cat  might  watch 
a  mouse,  Jack  saw  the  pocketknives  opened  and 
saw  the  two  rascally  cadets  take  hold  of  his  coat 
and  that  belonging  to  his  cousin. 

"No,  you  don't,  you  rascals !"  he  cried  loudly, 
as  he  bounced  off  the  cot  "Leave  those  uniforms 
alone!" 

The  interruption  came  so  unexpectedly  that 
both  Werner  and  Glutts  were  dumbfounded.  As 
Jack  pounced  on  Gabe  from  the  rear,  Glutts,  mut 
tering  a  cry  of  terror,  plunged  through  the  open 
ing  of  the  tent  by  which  he  had  come  and  fled 
down  past  the  other  nearby  shelters  at  top  speed. 

"Let  go  of  me!"  hissed  Gabe  Werner,  as  he 
turned  swiftly  to  find  himself  in  Jack's  embrace. 


l88   THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

The  flashlight  had  dropped  to  the  ground  and 
rolled  under  one  of  the  cots.  The  young  captain 
and  the  ex-lieutenant  began  to  wrestle,  and  in 
doing  this  fell  over  on  the  cot  occupied  by  Lieu 
tenant  Blake  just  as  this  lieutenant  and  Fred  were 
awakening. 

"Hi!  what  does  this  mean?"  spluttered  Tom 
Blake,  as  both  Jack  and  Werner  came  down  on 
top  of  him. 

The  combined  weight  of  the  three  brought  the 
cot  down  with  a  crash.  In  the  meantime  Fred 
had  jumped  up. 

"Say,  what's  all  this  row  mean  ?"  he  demanded 
quickly. 

"Here  is  a  fellow  who  was  going  to  play  a 
dirty  trick  on  us!"  shouted  Jack.  "Grab  him! 
Don't  let  him  get  away!" 

He  said  this  because  in  the  tumble  his  hold  on 
Gabe  had  been  somewhat  lessened,  and  in  the 
mix-up  Werner  was  now  endeavoring  to  slip  out 
of  his  grasp.  All  had  fallen  to  the  ground,  and 
the  ex-lieutenant  kicked  out  vigorously  with  his 
heavy  shoes,  landing  one  blow  in  Blake's  stomach 
and  the  other  on  Jack's  knee. 

It  was  so  dark  in  the  tent  that  but  little  could 
be  seen,  and  as  Fred  made  a  leap  forward  he  fell 
over  somebody's  legs  and  went  down.  Then  in 
the  mix-up  Blake  got  in  the  way,  and  both  Jack 


ONE  SURPRISE  AND  ANOTHER  jgp 

and  Fred  grabbed  him,  each  by  an  arm,  thinking 
he  was  the  intruder. 

"Give  in !"  cried  Jack  sternly.  "If  you  don't, 
it  will  be  the  worse  for  you." 

"You've  got  the  wrong  man,  Captain!"  cried 
Blake.  And  then,  as  he  was  released,  he  added : 
"Wait  until  I  make  a  light  so  that  we  can  see 
what  we  are  doing." 

A  lantern  was  hanging  at  the  front  of  the  tent, 
and,  striking  a  match,  Blake  lit  this.  In  the 
meantime,  however,  Fred  saw  a  form  disappear 
ing  through  the  hole  in  the  back  of  the  tent. 

"There  he  goes!"  he  yelled  to  Jack. 

"Stop  him!" 

This  suggestion  was  unnecessary,  for  Fred 
was  already  crawling  through  the  opening.  But, 
being  aroused  from  a  sound  sleep  so  suddenly,  he 
was  still  somewhat  dazed,  and  by  the  time  he  had 
got  on  the  outside  of  the  tent  and  was  on  his  feet, 
Gabe  Werner  was  a  good  distance  away  and  run 
ning  like  a  deer. 

"Come  back  here  I"  shouted  Fred,  looking  after 
the  flying  figure. 

In  a  few  seconds  Fred  was  joined  by  Jack. 
By  this  time  the  hubbub  around  the  officers'  tent 
had  been  heard  by  others,  and  even  Professor 
Grawson  was  awakened  from  his  nap. 

"What's  the  trouble  here  ?"  demanded  the  pro 


190        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

fessor,  leaping  from  the  tonneau  of  the  automo 
bile  and  hurrying  in  that  direction. 

"Two  outsiders  came  into  our  tent,"  said  the 
young  captain. 

"What  did  they  want?" 

"I  guess  they  were  going  to  play  some  trick. 
But  I  woke  up  and  scared  them  off." 

"Do  you  wish  to  make  any  complaint,  Captain 
Rover?"  went  on  the  professor,  as  Blake  came 
around  with  the  lantern  and  some  other  cadets 
began  to  gather. 

"I  don't  think  so — at  least  not  to-night,  Pro 
fessor,"  answered  Jack,  after  a  few  seconds  of 
rapid  thinking. 

"I  hope  they  didn't  do  any  damage,"  went  on 
Professor  Grawson. 

"They  didn't  have  time.  Although  in  the 
struggle,  when  I  tried  to  catch  one  of  them,  we 
fell  over  one  of  the  cots  and  broke  it  down." 

"I  see."  The  professor  mused  for  a  moment. 
"Well,  perhaps  you  might  better  let  the  matter 
rest,"  he  continued.  He  was  afraid  someone 
would  ask  him  about  himself,  and  then  he  would 
have  to  acknowledge  that  he  had  been  asleep  in 
stead  of  remaining  on  guard. 

The  excitement  soon  died  away,  the  report  be 
ing  that  some  of  the  cadets  had  been  starting  in 
for  a  little  more  horseplay,  but  that  the  scheme 


ONE  SURPRISE  AND  ANOTHER 


191 


had  been  nipped  in  the  bud.  Andy  and  Randy 
were  on  hand,  and  asked  Jack  for  some  of  the 
particulars. 

"I'll  tell  you  about  it  to-morrow,"  whispered 
the  young  captain.  "But  mum  is  the  word  just 
now." 

Returning  to  their  tent  after  the  excitement  was 
over,  the  Rovers  assisted  Lieutenant  Blake  to  put 
up  his  cot,  so  that  he  could  sleep  upon  it.  In 
doing  this,  Jack  picked  up  the  flashlight  and  the 
silk  handkerchief  with  which  the  end  had  been 
covered.  In  the  struggle  the  light  had  been 
turned  off.  Without  saying  anything  about  his 
find,  the  young  captain  slipped  the  articles  into 
his  pocket. 

Running  as  fast  as  his  somewhat  clumsy  steps 
would  permit,  Bill  Glutts  reached  the  tent  which 
he  and  Werner  occupied  along  with  two  of  their 
cronies,  cadets  who  had  asked  them  to  join  Com 
pany  B  just  previous  to  their  leaving  Company 
C.  Glutts  had  run  so  fast  that  he  could  hardly 
breathe,  and  he  sank  down  on  his  cot  gasping. 

"You  look  to  be  in  a  hurry,  Bill,"  remarked 
one  of  the  other  cadets,  who  was  awakened  by  the 
sudden  entrance. 

"Shut  up — don't  make  a  sound!"  whispered 
Qutts,  half  savagely.  "If  you  do  you'll  get  the 
whole  bunch  into  trouble." 


192       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

While  trying  to  regain  his  breath  and  to  un 
dress,  Glutts  kept  his  ears  wide  open,  and  pres 
ently  heard  Gabe  Werner  approaching.  Then 
the  ex-lieutenant  dove  into  the  tent,  quickly  tying 
the  flaps  behind  him.  Without  saying  a  word, 
he  began  to  pitch  off  his  clothing. 

"Gee,  I'm  glad  they  didn't  catch  you,  Gabe," 
muttered  Glutts,  in  a  hoarse  whisper. 

"They  did !  But  I  gave  'em  a  couple  of  kicks 
they  won't  forget !  And  then  I  ran  for  it." 

"Do  you  suppose  they  recognized  you?" 

"I  don't  think  so.  The  minute  we  went  down 
the  light  went  out." 

"We  sure  did  make  a  botch  of  that  job,"  grum 
bled  the  wholesale  butcher's  son. 

"How  was  I  to  guess  that  they'd  be  awake 
watchin'  us?"  retorted  the  ex-lieutenant.  "When 
I  looked  into  the  tent  I  thought  the  whole  bunch 
was  fast  asleep.  But  shut  up  now — they  may  be 
coming  this  way,  and  we  want  to  do  the  innocent 
act." 

"It's  me  for  that,"  chuckled  Glutts,  and,  having 
finished  undressing,  he  turned  over  on  his  cot  and 
commenced  to  snore.  And  in  this  Gabe  Werner 
soon  followed  his  example. 

Both  waited  impatiently  for  five  minutes  or 
more.  Then,  as  nothing  came  to  disturb  them, 
both  breathed  more  freely. 


ONE  SURPRISE  AND  ANOTHER 


193 


"I  guess  they  missed  us,"  whispered  Glutts. 

"It  looks  like  it,  Bill.  But,  say!  I  just  thought 
of  something,"  went  on  Werner,  and  the  tone  of 
his  voice  showed  his  dismay. 

"What's  wrong  now?" 

"In  the  struggle  I  dropped  that  flashlight  and 
the  silk  handkerchief  I  had  tied  over  it." 

"Gee,  that's  too  bad !  Did  either  of  the  things 
have  your  name  or  initials  on  it?" 

"No." 

"Well,  that's  good.  You  haven't  got  to  ad 
mit  that  you  own  'em." 

"That's  all  right,  Bill,  but  that  flashlight  and 
the  handkerchief  cost  money,"  grumbled  Gabe 
Werner. 

After  that  there  was  silence,  but  it  was  a  long 
while  before  either  of  the  rascally  cadets  could 
get  to  sleep.  Both  were  bitterly  disappointed  over 
the  failure  of  their  scheme  to  do  Jack  and  Fred 
an  injury,  and  both  wondered  whether  they  would 
be  found  out 


CHAPTER  XIX 

AT   CAMP   BARLIGHT 

THERE  was  so  much  to  do  in  the  morning,  get 
ting  breakfast,  taking  down  the  tents  and  packing 
them  in  the  motor  trucks,  and  doing  other  neces 
sary  things,  that  the  Rovers  got  no  opportunity 
to  talk  over  the  stirring  events  of  the  night  be 
fore.  As  officers  Jack  and  Fred  had  many  duties 
to  perform. 

Jack  and  Fred  noticed  that  Gabe  Werner  and 
Bill  Glutts  were  in  their  usual  places  in  the  com 
pany  ahead  of  them.  Once  or  twice  they  caught 
the  ex-lieutenant  and  his  crony  gazing  at  them 
furtively,  but  to  this  they  paid  scant  attention. 
Both  were  satisfied  that  these  two  unworthies 
were  the  guilty  parties. 

"I'm  sure  they  are  the  ones,"  said  Jack  to  Fred 
and  the  twins,  when  they  had  come  to  a  halt  at 
the  roadside  for  the  noon-day  meal  and  the  ca 
dets  had  some  time  to  themselves.  The  story  had 
been  told  to  Andy  and  Randy,  who  had  listened 
with  much  interest. 


AT  CAMP  BARLIGHT  195 

"What  did  you  do  with  the  flashlight  and  the 
handkerchief?"  questioned  Andy. 

"I've  got  them  both  in  my  pocket." 

"Are  you  going  to  return  them?"  asked  Randy. 

"I  don't  see  what  else  to  do.  I  don't  care  to 
carry  them  about,  and  I  don't  care  to  give  them 
up  to  Captain  Dale  or  any  of  the  professors.  I 
wouldn't  want  Werner  and  his  crowd  to  think 
we  are  squealers." 

The  matter  was  talked  over  among  the  Rovers 
and  Spouter  and  Gif,  who  were  let  into  the  secret 
Spouter  looked  the  flashlight  over,  and  was  cer 
tain  that  it  belonged  to  Gabe. 

"I  was  down  in  Haven  Point  when  he  bought 
it,"  he  said.  "I  was  thinking  of  getting  one  of 
them  myself,  so  I  looked  them  over  pretty  care 
fully." 

"I've  got  an  idea !"  cried  Andy.  "Just  let  me 
have  those  things,  and  I'll  see  to  it  that  Werner 
and  Glutts  get  them  back — and  with  a  vengeance." 

"What's  the  scheme?"  questioned  his  twin 
eagerly,  while  the  others  listened,  being  equally 
curious. 

"I'll  put  each  of  them  in  a  real,  nice,  com 
fortable,  little  package,"  answered  Andy,  with  a 
grin.  "And  then  to-night,  if  I  can  get  the  chance, 
I'll  put  one  in  Werner's  cot  and  the  other  in 
Glutts's." 


196       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"What  do  you  mean  by  a  'real,  nice,  comfort 
able,  little  package  ?'  "  questioned  Fred. 

"Oh,  a  package  that  he'll  feel  when  he  lies 
down  on  it.  Something  that  he  won't  be  apt  to 
overlook,"  returned  Andy  innocently. 

"Wow !  that's  the  stuff,"  cried  Randy  eagerly. 
"Let's  have  those  things,  Jack.  We'll  fix  'em  up 
O.  K." 

"Well,  you  take  care  that  you  don't  get  caught 
at  it,"  answered  the  young  captain,  and  then 
passed  the  flashlight  and  the  silk  handkerchief 
over  to  the  twins. 

The  cadets  were  now  among  the  Lookout  Hills, 
and  after  the  lunch  hour  they  had  a  long  hike  over 
two  more  of  the  hills.  On  the  top  of  the  last  of 
these,  they  paused  to  rest  and  to  look  around 
them.  A  grand  panorama  burst  upon  their  view, 
stretching  many  miles  in  all  directions.  Directly 
ahead,  through  a  somewhat  dense  forest,  they 
could  see  Barlight  Bay,  the  waters  of  which 
sparkled  brightly  in  the  sunshine.  Off  to  the 
northeast  were  some  cleared  fields,  and  this  spot 
was  pointed  out  to  them  as  that  where  the  camp 
was  to  be  located.  To  the  southeast,  beyond  the 
timber  and  a  series  of  jagged  rocks,  was  another 
cleared  space  stretching  for  several  miles,  and 
this  was  dotted  by  numerous  low  buildings  and 
tents. 


AT  CAMP  BARLIGHT 


197 


"That  must  be  Camp  Huxwell!"  exclaimed 
Jack,  as  he  looked  at  the  buildings  and  tents. 

"It  is,"  announced  Captain  Dale,  who  was 
standing  near.  "If  you  care  to  look  through  my 
fieldglasses,  Captain  Rover,  you  will  be  able  to 
see  the  camp  quite  distinctly." 

"I'll  be  pleased  to  do  that,"  answered  Jack 
quickly,  and  took  a  good  look  through  the 
glasses.  Nearly  everybody  wanted  to  look,  and 
Captain  Dale  good-naturedly  allowed  them  to 
pass  the  fieldglasses  around. 

"It's  not  quite  so  close  to  our  camp  as  I  thought 
it  was  going  to  be,"  remarked  Fred  disappoint 
edly.  "There's  a  wide  belt  of  rocks  and  timber 
between." 

Barlight  Bay,  opening  up  on  the  rolling  At 
lantic,  was  shaped  very  much  like  a  half  moon. 
Within  the  semicircle  there  were  two  smaller 
bays,  on  the  lower  one  of  which  was  located  Camp 
Huxwell,  while  on  the  upper  one  was  to  be  estab 
lished  Camp  Barlight.  Between  these  two  minor 
bays,  as  stated  before,  was  a  series  of  rocks  and 
cliffs  broken  by  a  thick  forest,  with  here  and  there 
patches  of  dense  undergrowth. 

"I'd  like  to  take  a  tramp  through  those  woods 
some  time  while  we  are  in  camp,"  said  Jack.  "It 
might  be  lots  of  fun." 

"Oh,  sure!     We'll  take  more  than  one  walk 


198       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

that  way,"  answered  Fred.  "And  don't  forget, 
we  want  to  go  over  to  Camp  Huxwell." 

The  climb  to  the  top  of  the  last  of  the  hills  had 
tired  a  good  many  of  the  cadets,  and  they  were 
glad  that  the  remainder  of  the  march  would  be 
downward  instead  of  upward.  Soon  they  were 
once  more  on  the  way,  and  reached  the  site  of 
Camp  Barlight  about  four  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon. 

The  motor  trucks  had  preceded  them,  and  as 
the  work  of  getting  the  place  into  shape  had  been 
proceeding  for  over  a  week,  the  sights  to  be  seen 
were  decidedly  interesting.  At  one  end  of  the 
grounds  there  were  three  long  rows  of  platforms. 
Upon  each  platform  a  tent  was  to  be  erected.  To 
one  side  was  a  much  larger  platform,  and  over 
this  had  already  been  erected  a  large  mess  tent, 
made  quite  substantial  by  means  of  a  wooden 
frame.  This  mess  tent  had  behind  it  the  cooking 
quarters. 

The  opposite  end  of  the  camp  site  had  been 
leveled  for  a  parade  ground,  and  here  a  tall  flag 
pole  had  been  erected,  from  the  top  of  which 
floated  the  Stars  and  Stripes  in  all  of  their  glory. 

"Oh,  see  how  close  we  are  to  the  water!"  ex 
claimed  Randy.  "That  looks  mighty  good  to  me. 
I'm  going  in  swimming  at  the  first  opportunity." 

The  cadets  were  allowed  to  rest  for  half  an 


AT  CAMP  BARLIGHT 


199 


hour,  and  then  they  were  set  to  work  to  erect  the 
tents  and  otherwise  get  the  camp  in  order.  A 
few  of  the  lads  grumbled  at  the  work  to  be  done, 
but  the  most  of  them  were  cheerful  and  obliging. 

Down  at  the  water's  edge  there  was  one  spot 
where  there  was  a  wide,  sandy  beach,  and  here 
several  small  tents  had  been  put  up  for  use  as 
bathing  houses. 

"Any  one  who  cares  to  do  so  can  take  a  dip 
in  the  bay  just  before  supper,"  announced  Cap 
tain  Dale,  after  the  work  of  putting  up  the  tents 
had  come  to  an  end.  "But  don't  stay  in  longer 
than  fifteen  minutes." 

Away  rushed  about  half  of  the  cadets,  the  Rov 
ers  among  them.  They  lost  no  time  in  divesting 
themselves  of  their  uniforms  and  getting  into 
their  bathing  trunks,  and  then  there  was  another 
rush  to  see  who  could  be  the  first  in. 

"Wow,  but  it's  cold!"  exclaimed  Fred,  as  he 
ran  in  up  to  his  knees. 

"Cold!"  exclaimed  another  cadet.  "Gee,  it's 
icy!" 

"This  is  the  way  to  go  in!"  cried  Jack,  and, 
rushing  in  part  way,  he  took  a  plunge  and  dis 
appeared  from  sight. 

Almost  immediately  a  score  of  cadets  followed 
him.  Then  came  a  wild  plunging  and  swimming 
about,  those  in  the  water  sending  the  spray  flying 


200        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CAW  AS 

over  those  who  were  too  afraid  to  enter.  There 
was  a  good  deal  of  horseplay,  but  every  one  en 
joyed  himself  immensely. 

Following  the  evening  meal  the  cadets  were 
told  they  could  do  as  they  pleased  until  nine 
o'clock,  but  must  not  leave  the  confines  of  the 
camp.  Many  of  the  lads  were  too  tired  to  do 
much  of  anything,  and  so  sat  around,  taking  it 
easy  and  talking  over  the  prospects. 

"Don't  forget  that  we  have  got  to  fix  up  things 
for  Werner  and  Glutts,"  whispered  Andy  to  his 
brother,  when  it  was  almost  time  to  retire. 

"Right  you  are !"  returned  Randy.  "Come  on 
• — let's  slip  away  while  the  others  are  not  notic- 
ing." 

The  first  move  the  twins  made  was  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  cooking  quarters  of  the  camp. 
Watching  their  chance,  they  entered  a  tent 
where  the  stores  were  kept,  and  soon  found  what 
they  were  looking  for — a  sack  filled  with  onions. 

"All  we  want  is  two  good  juicy  ones,"  whis 
pered  Randy,  and  these  onions  were  quickly  pro 
cured. 

After  this  the  two  boys  wandered  down  to  the 
edge  of  the  forest,  and  there  picked  up  a  number 
of  sharp  sticks  and  stones,  placing  these  in  two 
dirty  towels  they  had  procured  at  the  cook's  quar 
ters.  Then  they  retired  to  a  corner  of  the  woods 


AT  CAMP  BARLIGHT  201 

where  no  one  could  observe  them  and  went  to 
work  to  finish  what  they  had  in  mind  to  do. 

It  was  about  an  hour  after  this  when  taps  was 
sounded  and  all  the  cadets  were  supposed  to  turn 
in  for  the  night.  Previous  to  this  Andy  and 
Randy  had  rejoined  their  cousins. 

"We've  got  'em  fixed,  all  right  enough,"  whis 
pered  Randy.  "Don't  you  fellows  want  to  see  the 
fun?" 

"Can't  do  it — not  as  captain  of  this  company," 
answered  Jack  promptly. 

"If  we  got  caught  we'd  have  to  do  a  lot  of 
explaining,"  added  Fred. 

"Well,  that's  where  it  pays  to  be  a  private," 
chuckled  the  fun-loving  Rover.  "Never  mind, 
Randy  and  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it  to-morrow, 
and  we'll  also  tell  you  something  else." 

The  twins,  along  with  Spouter  and  Gif,  occu 
pied  a  tent  together;  and,  as  luck  would  have  it, 
this  was  almost  in  a  direct  line  with  the  tent 
assigned  to  Werner  and  Glutts  and  two  of  their 
cronies.  Watching  their  chance,  the  twins  stole 
out  of  their  own  quarters  and  hurried  over  to 
the  side  of  the  tent  occupied  by  their  enemies. 


CHAPTER  XX 

FIRST   DAYS   UNDER   CANVAS 

"GEE,  but  I'm  tired !"  Andy  and  Randy  heard 
Glutts  grumble.  "I'll  bet  I'll  be  stiff  all  over  to 
morrow  morning." 

"It  was  too  much  of  a  hike  over  those  hills," 
answered  Werner,  yawning  and  stretching  him 
self.  "I'll  bet  I'm  getting  a  blister  on  my  left 
heel." 

"Huh!  I'll  bet  your  left  heel  isn't  any  worse 
than  my  right  shoulder  from  carrying  that  gun," 
growled  the  wholesale  butcher's  son.  "That  old 
piece  of  iron  weighs  about  a  ton." 

"Say,  will  you  fellows  shut  up  and  get  to  bed  ?" 
grumbled  one  of  the  other  cadets  in  the  tent. 

"That's  it!"  came  from  the  fourth  occupant. 
"Do  your  visiting  in  the  morning.  With  your 
monkeyshines  last  night,  I'm  all  tired  out  now." 

Werner  and  Glutts  wished  to  remonstrate,  but 

did  not  dare,  fearing  that  more  might  be  said 

concerning   the   escapade    of   the   night   before. 

They  undressed  as  quickly  as  possible,  blew  out 

202 


THEY  WERE  SET  TO  WORK  ERECTING  THE  TENTS. 
The  Rover  Boys  —Under  Canvas.  P<W*  W9 


FIRST  DAYS  UNDER  CANVAS  203 

the  light,  and  then  each  threw  himself  on  his 
cot. 

"Cats  and  dogs!  what  in  thunder  is  this?" 

"Say!  who  put  these  rocks  in  my  bed?" 

"Something  stuck  me  right  through  the  back  P* 

"And  I  got  stuck,  too !  Gee,  this  is  the  worst 
yet!" 

Such  were  some  of  the  exclamations  from 
Werner  and  Glutts  as  they  sat  up  and  then 
bounced  off  of  their  cots.  Then,  in  a  rage,  the 
ex-lieutenant  and  his  crony  began  to  accuse  the 
others  in  the  tent  of  having  played  a  trick  on 
them. 

"We  didn't  do  anything  of  the  sort,"  growled 
one  of  the  cadets. 

"You  fellows  make  me  tired,"  howled  the 
other.  "If  you  don't  shut  up  and  settle  down  I'm 
going  to  ask  to  be  put  in  another  tent." 

"I'm  going  to  light  up  and  see  what  that  con 
founded  thing  in  my  cot  is,"  growled  Bill  Glutts. 

Something  had  stuck  him  in  several  places  on 
his  back,  and  he  felt  anything  but  comfortable. 
Werner  was  rubbing  himself  and  saying  things 
under  his  breath  that  were  far  from  compliment 
ary.  The  lantern  was  lit,  and  both  made  an  in 
spection  of  their  cots.  Each  found  a  bundle  tied 
up  in  a  thin,  dirty  towel. 

"Rocks  and  sticks!"  cried  Gabe  Werner,  in 


204       TffE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

deep  disgust  "Hang  the  luck,  anyway!"  He 
took  up  the  bundle  and  gazed  at  it  closer.  "Well, 
what  do  you  know  about  this?" 

"What  is  it?"  questioned  his  crony. 

"Here  is  a  card!  What  do  you  know  about 
this?"  and  he  looked  at  a  bit  of  pasteboard  on 
which  had  been  scrawled: 

"Returned  with  the  compliments  of  the  Rovers." 

"You  might  know  they'd  try  to  get  back  at 
us,"  remarked  Glutts. 

"I'll  fix  'em— you  see  if  I  don't!"  and,  in  a 
rage,  Gabe  took  up  the  bundle  which  had  been 
placed  on  his  cot  and  threw  it  with  all  his  force 
to  the  back  of  the  tent  It  struck  a  pole,  and 
from  inside  came  a  crash. 

"Hello,  you've  broken  something !"  cried  Glutts. 
"Maybe  it's  a  bottle.  I  wouldn't  put  it  past  'em 
to  put  one  in  there,  thinking  you  might  get  cut 
with  it" 

To  this  Werner  did  not  reply.  A  sudden 
thought  had  come  to  his  mind,  and  hastily  he 
picked  up  the  bundle,  now  somewhat  torn,  and 
opened  it.  In  the  midst  of  the  sticks  and  stones 
lay  his  flashlight,  bent  and  with  the  glass  broken. 

"Huh!  that's  a  fine  way  to  treat  your  own 
property,"  remarked  Gkrtts,  with  malicious  ha- 


FIRST  DAYS  UNDER  CANVAS 


205 


mor.  "Why  didn't  you  examine  the  bundle  be 
fore  you  threw  it  away  ?" 

"Aw,  you  shut  up !  You  make  me  tired !  Go 
on  and  look  in  your  own  bundle." 

The  wholesale  butcher's  son  did  so,  and  there 
found  another  card  from  the  Rovers.  This  was 
pinned  fast  to  the  silk  handkerchief,  which  was 
neatly  folded. 

"Well,  anyhow  the  handkerchief  is  all  right," 
said  Glutts  consolingly,  as  he  passed  it  over. 

"I  ought  to  make  'em  pay  for  that  broken  flash 
light,"  grumbled  Werner. 

"I  think  I  see  you  doing  it,"  came  with  a  laugh 
from  the  other.  "You'll  pocket  your  loss  and  say 
nothing  about  it." 

"We've  got  to  get  square  with  the  Rovers  for 
this." 

"I  agree  with  you  there.  But  now  I  guess  we 
had  better  go  to  bed  and  try  to  get  some  sleep;" 
and  then  the  two  turned  in  once  more. 

Andy  and  Randy,  crouching  low  at  the  side  of 
the  tent,  had,  of  course,  taken  in  all  that  was  said 
and  done.  Each  was  on  a  broad  grin  as  they  stole 
back  to  their  own  quarters. 

"Wasn't  it  rich?"  chuckled  Andy.  "I  had  the 
greatest  desire  in  the  world  to  burst  out  laugh 
ing." 


jo6       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"I  could  hardly  keep  still,"  returned  his  twin. 
"When  Gabe  threw  his  own  flashlight  away  and 
busted  it  I  nearly  exploded." 

"But  wait  until  to-morrow — oh,  boy!"  cried 
Andy. 

Both  of  the  fun-loving  youths  slept  soundly 
that  night,  but  each  was  up  early,  and  they  lost 
no  time  in  acquainting  their  cousins  and  Spouter 
and  Gif  and  a  few  of  the  others  with  what  was 
likely  to  happen  next. 

As  was  usual  with  them,  Werner  and  Gabe 
were  late  in  getting  up,  so  they  had  to  hustle  in 
order  not  to  be  late  at  roll  call.  Then  they  hur 
ried  back  to  their  tents  to  get  their  mess  kits,  for 
this  camp  was  conducted  on  real  military  lines 
when  it  came  to  eating.  Each  cadet  had  been 
provided  with  his  own  kit,  including  a  big  cov 
ered  cup,  plate,  and  knife,  fork  and  spoon. 

"Now  watch!"  cried  Randy  to  his  chums.  "I 
think  you'll  see  something." 

"And  maybe  you'll  smell  something,"  added 
Andy,  slyly. 

The  cadets  formed  in  a  long  line  to  be  served 
by  the  cook  and  his  helpers.  Glutts  was  behind 
Werner,  and  the  Rovers  and  their  friends  got 
close  by,  but  not  too  close,  being  warned  by  the 
twins  to  keep  a  respectable  distance. 

As  they  came  up  to  receive  their  food,  both 


FIRST  DAYS  UNDER  CANVAS  207 

Werner  and  Glutts  opened  their  kits,  and  as  they 
did  this  a  powerful,  penetrating  smell  filled  the 
air  around  them. 

"Hello!  what  in  blazes  have  you  got  in  your 
kits?"  cried  one  of  the  cook's  helpers,  who  was 
ready  to  serve  them. 

"Why,  I  ain't  got "  began  Werner,  and 

then  stopped  short.  The  smell  coming  from  his 
mess  kit  was  sickening,  and  it  made  his  eyes  water 
until  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks. 

"It's  onions !"  yeUed  Glutts.  "It's  chopped-up 
onions !" 

"Gee,  what  a  smell!"  came  from  another  ca 
det. 

"Say,  who  opened  up  the  onion  factory?" 

"Somebody  shut  the  cover  down  before  we 
faint!" 

Such  were  some  of  the  cries  that  arose  as  the 
odor  of  the  chopped-up  onions  floated  out  on  the 
morning  air.  In  the  meanwhile  Werner  and 
Glutts  stood  there  in  helpless  fashion,  holding 
their  mess  kits  at  arm's  length.  Both  were  red- 
eyed,  and  looked  as  if  they  were  weeping  copi 
ously. 

"Say,  if  this  is  a  joke,  it's  a  mighty  poor  one!" 
stormed  the  cook,  stepping  forward  with  a  big 
ladle  in  his  hand.  "You  chase  yourselves  and  get 
out  of  here!"  And  he  flourished  the  ladle  so 


208        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

threateningly  at  the  pair  that  Werner  and  Glutts 
ran  as  if  for  their  lives.  They  did  not  look  where 
they  were  going,  and  so  dashed  headlong  into 
Professor  Grawson,  who  was  coming  forward  to 
get  his  own  breakfast,  for  he  had  decided  to  rough 
it  with  the  students. 

"Here,  here!  What  is  this?"  exclaimed  the 
professor,  as  some  of  the  chopped-up  onions  flew 
over  his  clothing.  "My,  what  an  awful  smell! 
What  are  you  young  gentlemen  eating?" 

"We're  not  eatin'  this  stuff !"  exclaimed  Glutts. 
"Somebody  played  a  joke  on  us.  They  filled  our 
mess  kits  with  onions." 

"Ah,  I  see."  Professor  Grawson  held  his  nose 
and  stepped  back  several  feet.  "Please  do  not 
come  any  closer.  Raw  onions  are  very  health 
ful,  so  I  understand,  but  I  never  cared  for 
them." 

"We  don't  want  'em  either.  I  hate  'em!" 
roared  Werner.  "Come  on — let's  go  over  to  the 
water  tank  and  wash  up,"  he  added  to  his  crony ; 
and  then  rushed  away. 

By  the  end  of  three  days  the  cadets  felt  quite 
settled  at  Camp  Barlight.  Everything  had  been 
put  in  the  best  of  order,  and  drills  and  other  ex 
ercises  had  been  held  daily.  Captain  Dale  was 
teaching  the  cadets  a  new  bayonet  exercise,  and 
one  afternoon  he  had  an  officer  come  over  from 


FIRST  DAYS  UNDER  CAN? AS  209 

Camp  Huxwell  to  show  the  students  some  of  the 
fine  points  in  handling  a  bayonet.  This  was  de 
cidedly  interesting,  especially  to  Jack,  and  he  did 
his  best  to  imitate  what  the  regular  military  in 
structor  had  done. 

"No  use  of  talking,  when  it  comes  to  fighting 
the  Huns  our  men  have  got  to  be  pretty  quick," 
was  the  young  captain's  comment. 

"I  hope  we  see  some  of  those  exercises  when 
we  get  over  to  Camp  Huxwell,"  returned  Fred. 

During  those  first  days  in  camp  the  boys  did 
not  forget  to  write  long  letters  to  the  folks  at 
home,  and  also  to  the  girls  at  Clearwater  Hall, 
telling  of  how  they  were  settled  down.  They  in 
vited  the  girls  to  call  at  the  camp  before  going 
home,  and  a  couple  of  days  later  came  back  word 
that  the  girls  would  do  this,  paying  the  visit  in 
a  touring  car. 

"It  will  be  mighty  nice  to  have  all  of  them  here 
for  a  day,"  said  Jack.  "We  can  show  them  all 
around  the  camp  and  let  them  look  at  our  exer 
cises.  And  maybe  we  can  have  a  little  picnic  in 
the  woods,  too." 

"That  would  suit  me  right  down  to  the 
ground,"  answered  Fred. 

To  give  the  camp  a  truly  military  aspect,  Cap 
tain  Dale  instituted  a  regular  guard,  both  night 
and  day.  The  cadets  were  given  a  password,  and 


310        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

it  was  understood  that  no  one  could  get  into  the 
camp  without  giving  this. 

"Well,  it's  my  turn  to  go  on  guard  to-night," 
announced  Randy  one  evening  at  supper  time. 
"And  I  must  say,  I  don't  like  the  outlook  much. 
It  looks  to  me  as  if  it  was  going  to  rain." 

"Well,  you'll  have  only  four  hours  of  it, 
Randy,"  answered  Jack.  "That  isn't  so  very 
long.  What  time  do  you  go  on?" 

"Twelve  o'clock.  Then  I  am  to  relieve  Ned 
Lowe." 

Randy  retired  early,  and  was  awakened  about 
half  past  eleven  o'clock.  Then  he  dressed,  got  a 
cup  of  the  hot  chocolate  that  one  of  the  cook's 
helpers  had  ready  for  the  sentries,  and  then  went 
out  to  join  the  detail  which  was  to  go  on  guard 
from  midnight  until  four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

The  post  which  Ned  Lowe  had  covered,  and 
which  was  turned  over  to  Randy,  lay  on  the  far 
side  of  the  camp,  not  a  great  distance  from  where 
the  cliffs  overlooked  the  bay.  It  was  a  lonely 
spot,  particularly  on  a  night  like  this,  when  the 
sky  was  overcast  and  a  rising  wind  was  moaning 
through  the  branches  of  the  trees. 

"See  any  ghosts  to-night,  Ned?"  said  Randy 
to  Ned  Lowe  jokingly,  as  he  relieved  that  sen 
try. 

"Well,  I  saw  something,  Randy,"  was  the  un- 


FIRST  DAYS  UNDER  CANVAS  211 

expected  reply.  "I've  been  trying  to  make  up  my 
mind  for  the  last  half  hour  what  it  was." 

"Saw  something !    What  do  you  mean  ?" 

"I  think  I  saw  somebody  sneaking  through  the 
woods  over  yonder,"  said  Ned  Lowe,  pointing 
into  the  forest.  "I  shouted  out,  but  no  one  an 
swered,  and  then  the  figure — or  whatever  it  was 
— vanished." 

"Oh,  say !  you  must  be  seeing  things,"  returned 
Randy  lightly.  "Just  the  same,  I'll  keep  my 
weather  eye  open,"  he  added.  "Maybe  some  of 
the  other  cadets  were  out,  and  tried  to  play  a 
trick  on  you." 

"No,  I  don't  think  it  was  one  of  our  cadets," 
Ned  Lowe.  "I  think  it  was  a  stranger.  But  what 
he  was  doing  around  here  at  this  time  of  night  is 
a  mystery  to  me." 

"Maybe  he  was  a  tramp,  and  thought  he  could 
get  a  chance  to  steal  something,"  ventured  the 
fun.-loving  Rover,  sobering  down. 

"Maybe.  I  guess  you  had  better  keep  your 
eyes  wide  open,"  said  Ned  Lowe,  and  then  turned 
away  and  left  Randy  alone  on  the  post 


CHAPTER  XXI 

STRANGE    KOISES 

LEFT  to  himself  Randy  tramped  up  and  down 
slowly  along  the  post  assigned  to  him.  The  dis 
tance  was  several  hundred  feet,  and  at  either  end 
he  met  another  guard.  One  of  these  was  Codfish, 
and  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  sneak  of  Colby 
Hall  was  thoroughly  scared. 

"I  don't  like  this  at  all,"  Codfish  declared,  when 
he  and  Randy  met.  "There's  a  terrible  wind 
sighing  through  those  trees." 

"Have  you  seen  anybody?"  questioned  Randy. 

"I  thought  I  did,  but  I'm  not  sure  whether  it 
was  some  person  or  an  animal." 

"When  was  that?" 

"Nearly  an  hour  ago." 

"Maybe  it  was  the  same  person  Ned  Lowe 
thought  he  saw,"  went  on  Randy.  **He  called 
out,  but  nobody  answered." 

"If  I  see  anybody  again,  IT1  shoot  off  my  gun 
and  call  the  corporal,"  announced  Codfish. 

His  whole  manner  showed  that  be  was  much 

Mi 


STRANGE  NOISES  213 

disturbed.  His  post  was  along  the  edge  of  the 
wood  beyond  where  Randy  was  stationed,  but 
the  latter  saw  that  the  sneak  never  walked  very 
close  to  the  trees  and  brushwood. 

The  time  dragged  heavily,  and  Randy  heaved 
a  sigh  when  he  looked  at  his  watch  and  found  that 
it  was  only  one  o'clock. 

The  young  cadet,  as  was  the  custom  with  many 
of  the  lads,  had  supplied  himself  with  a  thin  cake 
of  sweet  chocolate,  and  to  help  pass  the  time  he 
munched  on  bits  of  this.  Then  it  commenced  to 
rain,  the  scattering  drops  making  quite  a  noise  on 
the  trees  and  fallen  leaves. 

Fortunately  Randy  had  brought  his  raincoat 
with  him.  It  hung  on  a  bush  about  midway  be 
tween  the  ends  of  his  post,  and,  turning,  he  hur 
ried  to  get  the  garment.  He  was  just  in  time  to 
see  a  figure  sliding  away  between  the  bushes. 
This  figure  had  confiscated  the  raincoat  only  a 
few  seconds  before. 

"Come  back  here !"  yelled  Randy,  in  justifiable 
anger.  "Come  back,  I  say,  or  I'll  fire  at  you  1" 

"Fire,  and  be  hanged!"  came  in  a  somewhat 
1  familiar  roice.  Evidently  the  speaker  knew  that 
Randy's  rifle  contained  only  blank  cartridges. 

Randy's  blood  was  up,  for  he  felt  certain  the 
raincoat  had  been  taken  by  one  of  his  fellow  ca 
dets,  probably  Werner  or  Glutts.  Leaping  for- 


214 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 


ward,  he  cleared  some  low  bushes  at  a  bound, 
and  then  made  after  the  figure  skulking  along 
among  the  trees. 

"Drop  that  raincoat  or  I'll  crack  you  on  the 
head  with  my  gun !"  he  roared,  as  he  drew  closer 
to  the  fleeing  fellow. 

"Keep  back,  or  it  will  be  the  worse  for  you, 
Randy  Rover!"  cried  the  other  cadet,  and  now 
Randy  recognized  the  voice  of  Gabe  Werner  quite 
distinctly. 

The  fun-loving  Rover  did  not  reply  to  Werner. 
Instead  he  hurried  on  faster  than  ever,  coming  so 
close  presently  that  he  was  able  to  reach  the  ex- 
lieutenant  with  his  gun.  He  swung  the  weapon 
by  the  barrel,  and  the  stock  caught  Werner  a 
severe  blow  on  his  right  shoulder. 

"Ouch!"  yelled  the  big  cadet,  and  his  right 
arm  dropped  to  his  side  and  the  raincoat  slipped 
to  the  ground. 

"You're  a  fine  rascal  to  steal  my  raincoat," 
remonstrated  Randy,  raising  his  gun  as  if  to 
give  the  ex-lieutenant  another  blow. 

"Aw!  can't  you  take  a  joke?  You  Rovers 
didn't  think  anything  of  smashing  my  flash- 
light." 

"You  did  that  yourself,  throwing  it  against 
your  tent  pole,"  answered  Randy. 

"Huh!  who  told  you  that?" 


STRANGE  NOISES 

"Never  mind  who  told  me — I  know  It's  the 
truth.  Now,  after  this,  Gabe  Werner,  you  leare 
my  things  alone!" 

"Bah !  don't  talk  to  me,  Randy  Rover.  If  it 
wasn't  that  you  have  nearly  broken  my  right 
shoulder,  I'd  give  you  the  licking  you  deserve." 

"And  for  two  pins,  Gabe  Werner,  I'd  report 
you  for  being  absent  from  camp  without  leave," 
retorted  Randy.  "Now  you  get  back  to  your 
tent  just  as  fast  as  you  can." 

"Rats !  don't  you  talk  to  me,"  growled  the  ex- 
lieutenant.  Nevertheless,  he  turned  and  walked 
through  the  woods  toward  the  encampment,  and 
then  lost  no  time  in  hurrying  to  his  tent. 

Randy  slipped  on  his  raincoat,  and  then  re 
sumed  his  duty  as  a  sentinel.  Back  and  forth 
he  tramped,  occasionally  exchanging  a  word  or 
two  with  Codfish  or  with  the  guard  at  the  other 
end  of  his  post.  Thus  two  hours  more  dragged 
by.  For  half  of  that  time  it  rained  steadily,  and 
if  his  feet  did  not  get  wet,  they  at  least  got  very 
damp.  Then,  however,  the  shower  passed  on, 
and  presently  the  morning  stars  shone  forth. 

Randy  was  watching  for  the  first  streaks  of 
the  coming  dawn  and  congratulating  himself  that 
his  lonely  vigil  would  soon  come  to  an  end,  when 
an  unusual  sound  broke  upon  his  ears.  From  a 
distance  came  a  curious  clank!  clank!  followed 


216       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

by  another  sound  that  seemed  to  be  the  rattle  of 
several  chains. 

"Hello !  where  does  that  come  from  ?"  he  asked 
himself.  "Somebody  must  be  getting  to  work 
pretty  early  in  the  morning." 

The  noises  kept  up  for  a  minute  or  two,  and 
then  abruptly  ceased.  The  young  cadet  listened 
for  quite  a  while,  and  then  resumed  his  tramp. 
But  a  little  later  the  strange  clanking  and  rattle 
of  chains  was  continued,  and  once  more  he  halted, 
trying  to  locate  the  direction  of  the  sounds. 

"Must  come  from  somewhere  in  the  woods," 
he  reasoned,  and  he  thought  this  rather  strange, 
for  he  was  of  the  opinion  that  this  portion  of 
the  forest  was  entirely  uninhabited. 

Several  times  after  that  he  heard  the  strange 
clanking,  and  every  time  it  was  followed  by  a 
rattle  as  of  chains.  Then  came  a  sharp  tapping, 
as  of  a  hammer  on  steel,  and  with  this  a  curious 
humming  sound,  as  if  some  big  blowing  machine 
was  in  action. 

"Maybe  it's  an  airship,  or  something  like  that," 
he  said  to  himself.  "That  humming  sound  may 
be  the  propellers  going  around.  Maybe  they  had 
an  accident  and  had  to  come  down  for  repairs." 

It  lacked  ten  minutes  of  the  time  for  the  new 
sentry  to  go  on  duty  when  Randy,  who  had  come 
to  a  halt  to  learn  if  the  curious  clanking  was 


STRANGE  NOISES 

still  taking  place  in  the  woods,  saw  a  movement 
behind  some  trees  at  a  distance. 

"Must  be  either  an  animal  or  a  man,"  he  said 
to  himself. 

With  strained  eyes  he  watched  the  location, 
and  presently  saw  two  slouch  hats  moving  be 
hind  the  top  of  some  brushwood.  Then  for  a 
brief  instant  he  caught  sight  of  the  forms  of  two 
men  as  they  disappeared  in  the  distance. 

"I  wonder  if  those  were  the  two  men  who  were 
making  all  that  noise?"  he  mused. 

At  such  a  distance  it  had  been  impossible  for 
him  to  note  anything  of  the  features  of  the  men. 
Both  wore  dark  clothing  and  dark  slouch  hats, 
but  beyond  that  he  made  out  nothing  concerning 
them. 

When  the  corporal  of  the  guard  came  along  to 
change  the  detail.  Randy  said  nothing  about  the 
attempt  of  Gabe  Werner  to  deprive  him  of  his 
raincoat,  but  he  did  mention  the  sounds  he  had 
heard  in  the  woods,  and  also  the  appearance  of 
the  two  men. 

"Oh,  I  guess  they  were  a  couple  of  lumber 
men,"  remarked  the  corporal,  in  an  offhand  way. 
"They  occasionally  come  here,  I  suppose,  to  get  a 
stick  of  timber."  And  not  thinking  it  of  any  im 
portance,  he  dismissed  the  matter  from  his  mind. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  morning  drill  that 


218        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

Randy  got  a  chance  to  speak  to  his  brother  and 
his  cousins,  telling  them  of  the  encounter  with 
Werner. 

"I  supposed  he  would  try  to  get  square !"  cried 
Jack.  "I'm  mighty  glad  he  didn't  get  away  with 
it." 

Then  Randy  told  of  hearing  the  strange  clank 
ing  noises  and  also  the  sounds  of  chains  rat 
tling  and  of  some  big  blower  in  motion. 

"That's  certainly  curious,"  remarked  Jack. 
"From  what  Captain  Dale  said,  I  thought  these 
woods  had  no  one  in  them.  In  fact,  I  supposed 
they  belonged  to  the  government  and  were  a  part 
of  the  Camp  Huxwell  reservation,  and  that  all 
outsiders  were  to  be  kept  out." 

"I  thought  the  blowing  sound  might  be  an 
aeroplane's  propellers,"  went  on  Randy.  "I  was 
thinking  a  machine  might  have  been  disabled  and 
come  down,  and  the  fellows  on  board  might  be 
trying  to  make  repairs." 

"They  couldn't  come  down  safely  between 
those  trees  and  on  those  rocks,"  cried  Andy. 
"They'd  break  their  necks!" 

"Well,  I  certainly  heard  something,  and  I  saw 
two  men." 

"Say,  did  those  two  fellows  look  anything 
like  the  two  Germans  Jed  Kessler  spoke  about?" 
queried  Randy's  twin  quickly. 


STRANGE  NOISES  219 

"I  don't  know  about  that.  I  only  got  a  glance 
at  'em,  and  they  were  a  long  way  off.  All  I 
know  is  that  they  were  dressed  in  very  dark  cloth 
ing  and  wore  dark  slouch  hats." 

"I  think  it  might  be  a  good  thing  to  mention 
this  to  Captain  Dale,"  said  Jack  thoughtfully. 
"The  authorities  are  very  anxious  to  get  on  the 
track  of  those  two  men  who  were  seen  around  the 
ammunition  plant.  It  won't  do  any  harm  to  have 
this  matter  investigated."  And  then  he  and  his 
cousin  sought  out  the  old  West  Pointer  for  that 
purpose. 

Captain  Dale  listened  attentively,  and  nodded 
his  head  several  times  while  Randy  was  speak 
ing. 

"You  are  right,  Captain  Rover,"  he  said  to 
Jack.  "And  I'm  glad  that  you  brought  your 
cousin  here  to  tell  me  this.  I'll  go  over  to  town 
this  morning  and  report  to  the  authorities.  Of 
course  there  may  be  nothing  in  it,  but  as  you  re 
marked,  it  is  a  clue  that  should  not  be  over 
looked.  Those  two  men  with  the  wagon  load  of 
stuff  certainly  disappeared  somewhere  in  this 
vicinity,  and  I  know  the  forest  is  supposed  to  be 
a  part  of  the  government  reservation,  and  no 
strangers  would  be  permitted  to  go  into  it  and 
cut  down  any  trees.  More  than  that,  the  strange 


230       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

sounds  heard  by  your  cousin  Randy  make  it  look 
as  if  something  unusual  was  being  done  there." 

"Would  there  be  any  objection  to  our  going 
into  the  woods  and  taking  a  look  around?"  ques 
tioned  Randy. 

"Not  the  least,  Rover.  But  I  think  you  had 
better  go  slow,  because  if  those  men  we  are  look 
ing  for  are  really  there,  and  they  know  the  au 
thorities  are  after  them — well,  that  may  make 
them  very  desperate,  and  you  may  get  into  seri 
ous  trouble." 

"Oh,  I  guess  we  could  take  care  of  ourselves," 
answered  Randy  quickly.  "Of  course,  Jack  and 
I  wouldn't  go  alone.  We  would  take  quite  a 
bunch  with  us.  There  is  generally  safety  in  num 
bers,  you  know,"  and  he  grinned. 

"All  right,  you  may  go  if  you  want  to.  Only 
take  good  care  of  yourselves." 

So  the  matter  was  arranged,  and  in  less  than 
half  an  hour  later  the  four  Rovers,  accompanied 
by  Spouter,  Gif,  and  Walt  Baxter,  set  off  into 
the  forest 


CHAPTER  XXII 

AT   THE   RIFLE   RANGES 

IT  did  not  take  the  cadets  long  to  reach  the 
place  where  Randy  said  he  had  noticed  the  two 
strangers.  Here,  to  the  surprise  of  the  Rovers 
and  their  chums,  they  discovered  a  faint  trail 
leading  north  and  south  through  the  forest. 

"The  men  must  have  been  following  this  foot 
path/'  remarked  Fred.  "Now  then,  Randy, 
which  way  were  they  headed?" 

"They  were  headed  north,"  was  the  reply. 

They  found  that  following  the  footpath  was  by 
no  means  easy.  It  led  in  and  out  among  big  trees 
and  around  various  clumps  of  bushes,  and  more 
than  once  they  found  themselves  in  a  hollow 
where  going  was  exceedingly  treacherous.  Then 
in  spots  they  had  to  climb  over  the  rough  rocks. 

"Hello,  here  is  something!"  cried  Jack  pres 
ently.  "Now,  what  in  the  world  is  it?"  he  went 
on,  as  he  held  up  an  object  he  had  picked  from 
between  two  of  the  rocks. 

It  was  a  curiously-shaped  bar  of  steel,  about 

221 


222        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

a  foot  and  a  half  long,  round  at  one  end  and  flat 
tened  at  the  other,  with  several  square  holes 
punched  through  the  latter  end. 

"Looks  like  a  piece  of  machinery  of  some 
kind,"  said  Spouter,  after  the  thing  had  been 
passed  around  for  examination.  "You  know, 
Randy,  you  may  be  right,  after  all,  and  that  may 
be  a  piece  from  an  aeroplane/'  he  added,  looking 
the  bar  over  critically. 

Carrying  the  bar  of  steel,  Jack  continued  along 
the  footpath,  followed  by  the  others,  and  a  few 
minutes  later  emerged  on  a  much  larger  trail. 
Here  were  the  marks  of  wagon  tracks,  and  also 
horses'  hoofs. 

"Hello,  this  proves  that  a  wagon  came  this 
way!"  cried  Fred. 

"Maybe  it  was  the  one  those  Germans  were 
riding  in,"  added  Andy. 

"Oh,  I  wouldn't  want  to  say  that,"  returned 
Jack.  "This  may  be  a  regular  thoroughfare 
through  this  corner  of  the  forest." 

They  followed  the  wagon  tracks,  and  soon 
found  that  the  road  came  to  an  end  among  some 
rocks  overlooking  Barlight  Bay.  Then  they  came 
back  and  walked  in  the  other  direction,  and  pres 
ently  emerged  on  the  highway  along  which  they 
had  marched  on  their  way  to  the  camp. 

"That  ends  it,  as  far  as  following  this  trail 


AT  THE  RIFLE  RANGES  223 

is  concerned,"  said  Jack.  "Those  men  could  go 
to  almost  anywhere  from  here." 

The  cadets  looked  around  for  a  while,  and  then 
went  back  to  the  spot  where  Randy  had  seen  the 
men  early  in  the  morning.  They  looked  for  foot 
prints,  but  were  not  successful  in  finding  any 
they  could  follow  for  a  distance. 

"Gee,  I'm  getting  tired!"  said  Randy,  with  a 
yawn.  "Please  remember  I  did  not  get  much 
sleep  last  night." 

"Yes,  and  I'm  getting  hungry,"  added  his 
twin.  "I  think  we'd  better  go  back  to  camp." 

The  others  thought  so,  too,  and  a  few  minutes 
later  all  set  off.  As  before,  the  young  captain 
took  the  lead,  and  he  and  Randy  lost  no  time  in 
visiting  the  tent  occupied  by  Captain  Dale. 

"Well,  this  certainly  is  a  find,"  declared  the 
old  West  Pointer,  looking  the  steel  bar  over  crit 
ically.  "I  agree  that  it  belongs  to  some  sort  of 
machine,  although  what,  I  haven't  the  least  idea. 
If  any  of  the  authorities  come  here  I'll  let  them 
look  it  over." 

Several  days,  including  Sunday,  passed  with 
out  anything  new  developing.  Several  of  the 
local  authorities  had  appeared,  and  also  a  Secret 
Service  man  from  Camp  Huxwell.  All  listened 
closely  to  what  Captain  Dale  and  the  Rovers  had 
to  tell,  and  examined  the  steel  bar  critically. 


284 

Then  they  went  off,  and  that,  for  the  time  being, 
was  all  those  at  Camp  Barlight  heard  of  them. 

"Hurrah !  the  girls  are  coming  soon,  and  then 
maybe  we'll  get  a  chance  to  run  over  to  Camp 
Huxwell,"  cried  Fred,  one  day  after  the  mail  had 
been  brought  in. 

"They  say  they  will  be  over  late  in  the  week," 
said  Jack.  He  looked  at  his  cousins.  "We'll 
have  to  lay  plans  to  treat  them  royally." 

The  young  cadets  had  continued  their  drills 
and  also  their  bayonet  and  other  exercises.  Now 
it  was  announced  that  target  practice  would  start 
the  following  morning  and  continue  until  all  of 
the  cadets  had  proved  what  they  could  do  in  hit 
ting  the  mark. 

"Well,  Fred,  here  is  your  chance  to  show  what 
you  can  do !"  cried  Andy,  after  this  announcement 
had  been  made.  "You  were  the  high  man  in  our 
family  last  term."  He  remembered  that  out  of 
a  possible  score  of  25  Fred  had  netted  19,  while 
Jack  had  received  18,  Randy  12,  and  himself 
but  10. 

"Please  don't  forget  that  I've  got  Lewis  Bar 
row  to  shoot  against,"  answered  Fred.  Lewis 
Barrow  had  been  the  high  man  on  the  previous 
occasion,  with  a  score  of  20. 

There  were  three  targets  to  be  shot  at — one 
at  short  range,  one  at  medium,  and  one  at  long 


AT  THE  RIFLE  RANGES  225 

range.  It  would  be  possible  to  score  20  points 
at  each  target,  making  a  total  of  60  points  for 
each  cadet. 

In  the  past  Gabe  Werner  had  been  a  fairly  good 
shot.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  patronizing  a  shoot 
ing  gallery  in  Haven  Point,  and  the  proprietor  of 
this  had  given  him  many  lessons  in  how  to  hold 
a  rifle  and  how  to  take  aim. 

"I  guess  here  is  where  I  get  a  chance  to  show 
those  dubs  what  I  can  do,"  remarked  Gabe  to 
his  cronies. 

To  make  the  contest  more  interesting  for  the 
cadets,  Colonel  Colby  had  authorized  Captain 
Dale  to  put  up  six  prizes;  the  first  a  gold  medal, 
the  second  a  silver  medal,  and  the  others  vari 
ous  books  of  more  or  less  value. 

"Now,  Fred,  I  want  you  to  do  your  prettiest," 
said  Jack  to  his  cousin.  "You  came  out  ahead 
of  us  last  term,  and  this  time  I  want  you  to  top 
the  whole  school." 

"I'll  do  my  best,"  answered  the  youngest  Rover 
boy.  "But,  Jack,  you've  got  to  do  your  best, 
too." 

"Sure  I  will!" 

The  target  practice  lasted  for  three  days,  and 
the  competition  among  more  than  half  of  the 
cadets  was  very  keen.  The  others  were  such  in 
different  marksmen  that  they  had  no  hopes  of 


226       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

winning  any  of  the  prizes,  and  so  they  shot  more 
because  they  were  expected  to  do  so  than  for  any 
other  reason. 

"Well,  I  guess  I'm  keeping  up  my  reputation !" 
cried  Randy,  with  a  grin,  when  his  shooting  had 
come  to  an  end.  "Twelve  points  at  the  first  tar 
get,  six  at  the  second,  and  four  at  the  long  dis- 
tane — a  total  of  twenty-two  points." 

"I'm  a  whole  barrelful  better  than  that!"  an 
swered  his  brother  gaily.  "I  made  twenty-three 
points.  I  guess  we  had  both  better  open  a  school 
for  target  practice,"  and  he  grinned  broadly. 

At  the  short-range  target  Jack  and  Fred  were 
tied  with  16  points  each,  and,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  Lewis  Barrow  and  Gabe  Werner  were  tied 
with  17  points  each. 

"Say,  Werner  can  certainly  shoot,"  remarked 
Spouter,  who  had  made  but  eleven  points.  "I 
knew  Barrow  could  do  it,  but  I  didn't  expect  it 
of  Gabe." 

"Shooting  at  the  short-range  target  is  his  spe 
cialty,"  announced  Walt,  whose  score  was  also 
a  modest  one.  "Remember,  he  has  been  doing  a 
lot  of  practicing  at  the  Haven  Point  shooting  gal 
lery." 

At  the  medium-distance  target  the  scores  were 
not  so  good,  Jack  making  10,  Fred  n,  Barrow 
13,  and  Werner  14. 


AT  THE  RIFLE  RANGES 


227 


"Hello,  what  do  you  know  about  this !  Werner 
is  ahead !" 

"He  shot  one  point  better  than  Lew  Barrow." 

"I  knew  he  could  do  it!"  boasted  Bill  Glutts. 
"Just  wait  until  you  fellows  get  at  the  long-dis 
tance  range!  He'll  show  you  what's  what!" 

The  score  now  stood,  Jack  26,  Fred  27,  Barrow 
30,  and  Werner  31.  The  others  had  all  dropped 
behind  several  points  more. 

"Say,  you  fellows  have  got  to  hump  your 
selves,"  declared  Randy,  as  he  came  up  to  his 
cousins.  "Werner  is  four  and  five  points  ahead 
of  you." 

"Well,  I  am  doing  the  best  I  can,"  declared  the 
young  captain.  He  would  have  resented  such 
familiarity  from  anyone  except  his  fun-loving 
cousin. 

"And  I'm  doing  the  best  I  can,"  asserted  the 
young  lieutenant. 

At  the  long-distance  range  Lewis  Barrow  was 
the  first  of  the  four  to  show  his  skill.  He  was 
a  young  Westerner,  and  had  a  great  familiarity 
with  firearms.  He  shot  quickly  and  neatly,  mak 
ing  a  score  of  10. 

"Hurrah !  That  gives  Lew  Barrow  a  total  of 
forty  points!" 

"Good  work,  Lew!  I  guess  that  gold  medal  is 
yours." 


228   THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"Not  much!"  returned  the  Westerner,  with  a 
faint  smile.  "I  didn't  do  very  well.  I  guess  the 
wind  was  against  me." 

The  next  to  shoot  was  Fred,  and  to  the  amaze 
ment  of  many  of  those  looking  on,  the  youngest 
Rover  made  a  score  of  15,  giving  him  a  total  of 
forty-two  points. 

"Good  work,  Fred!"  cried  Jack,  grasping  his 
cousin  by  the  hand. 

"Oh,  it  takes  our  Fred  to  do  it !"  cried  Andy, 
dancing  around.  And  then  he  had  to  turn  a 
couple  of  handsprings  to  relieve  his  feelings. 

"Huh!  you  just  wait  till  Gabe  shoots,"  said 
Bill  Glutts. 

"He's  the  one  to  win  that  gold  medal !"  piped 
in  Codfish. 

"Well,  there  is  one  thing  sure — you'll  never 
walk  off  with  any  medal,  Codfish,"  returned 
Randy;  and  at  this  there  was  a  laugh,  for  the 
sneak  of  the  school  had  made  a  poor  showing  on 
all  oS  the  targets — in  fact,  he  was  so  timid  that  he 
was  almost  afraid  to  discharge  his  rifle. 

Gabe  Werner  strode  forward  with  a  superior 
air  and  inspected  the  rifle  that  was  handed  to  him 
critically. 

"I  want  a  gun  that  shoots  straight,"  he  said. 

He  took  a  long  time  to  shoot,  sighting  his  rifle 
several  times  before  each  discharge.  His  first 


AT  THE  RIFLE  RANGES 


229 


shots  were  fairly  good,  but  then  his  nervousness 
asserted  itself,  and  he  all  but  missed  the  target. 
His  total  was  eight  points,  bringing  his  grand 
total  up  to  thirty-nine  points. 

"Hello,  Werner's  dropped  down!" 

"He  is  one  point  behind  Barrow  and  three 
points  behind  Fred  Rover." 

"Say,  Gabe,  what  happened  to  you?  Did  you 
get  a  dose  of  the  shakes?"  asked  one  of  his  fol 
lowers. 

"Maybe  somebody  moved  the  target  on  him," 
suggested  Andy  slyly. 

"Perhaps  the  rifle  had  a  twist  in  the  barrel," 
announced  Randy. 

"Oh,  say,  this  is  none  of  your  affair!"  growled 
Gabe  Werner,  as  he  threw  down  the  rifle  in  dis 
gust  and  faced  the  two  fun-loving  Rovers.  "You 
mind  your  own  business !" 

"Gracious,  but  you're  peppery !"  said  Andy. 

"I'll  pepper  you  some  day!"  howled  Werner, 
and  then  turned  on  his  heel  and  strode  off,  look- 
ing  anything  but  pleasant. 

"Gee!  but  he  takes  it  hard,"  remarked  Walt. 

"How  foolish,"  returned  Gif.  "Even  if  I  was 
disappointed,  I  wouldn't  show  it." 

It  was  now  Jack's  turn  to  shoot,  and  he  did  so 
without  delay.  His  first  two  shots  were  not  par 
ticularly  good,  but  then  he  found  the  bull's-eye 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

twice  in  succession,  much  to  the  amazement  of 
all  the  onlookers. 

"Say,  there's  shooting  for  you!" 

"Fred,  you'd  better  look  to  your  laurels  or  Jack 
will  beat  you,"  cried  Spouter. 

"I  want  him  to  beat  me — if  he  can,"  answered 
Fred  generously. 

And  beat  his  cousin  Jack  did  by  just  one  point. 
He  scored  a  total  of  forty-three,  while  Fred  had 
forty-two. 

Barrow  came  in  for  third  place  with  forty 
points,  and  Werner  fourth  with  thirty-nine 
points.  Frank  Newberry  was  fifth,  and  a  cadet 
named  Henkerson  sixth. 

"Well,  you  beat  me  fairly  and  squarely,  Jack !" 
cried  Fred,  shaking  hands. 

"Not  such  an  awful  lot  at  that,  Fred.  Only 
one  point,"  returned  the  young  captain  good-na 
turedly. 

"But  it  gives  you  the  gold  medal,  while  I'll 
have  to  content  myself  with  the  silver  medal. 
Just  the  same,  I'm  glad  I  did  as  well  as  that/' 
added  Fred. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

GIRL   VISITORS 

AFTER  the  target  practice  the  cadets  of  Colby 
Hall  settled  down  to  the  usual  routine  of  the 
eamp.  The  Rovers  and  their  chums  were  eagerly 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  girls  from  Clearwater 
Hall,  and  they  made  arrangements  with  Captain 
Dale  so  that  the  visitors  might  be  appropriately 
entertained. 

The  girls  came  in  two  large  touring  cars,  which 
had  been  hired  at  the  Haven  Point  garage.  The 
Rovers  and  their  chums  were  on  the  lookout  for 
them,  and  set  up  a  cheer  as  soon  as  they  ap 
peared. 

"Oh,  what  a  lovely  spot  for  a  camp !"  exclaimed 
Ruth  Stevenson,  as  she  leaped  to  the  ground  and 
shook  hands  with  Jack. 

The  visitors  were  escorted  by  Captain  Jack  to 
Captain  Dale's  quarters.  He  knew  some  of  the 
young  ladies  already,  and  soon  made  all  of  the 
crowd  feel  perfectly  at  home. 

"Your  friends  will  show  you  around  our 
231 


23* 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 


camp,  and  if  you  care  to  do  so  you  may  hare 
regular  mess  with  our  cadets,"  said  the  old  West 
Pointer,  smiling. 

"Oh,  let's  have  a  regular  mess  dinner  by  all 
means!"  cried  Mary.  "I've  always  wanted  to 
know  how  it  tasted." 

"Grandest  soup  you  ever  struck,  Mary/'  said 
Gif. 

"Especially  if  a  pinching  bug  or  a  worm 
chances  to  drop  into  it,"  came  from  Andy. 

"You  horrid  boy!"  cried  Martha.  "Jack,  you 
ought  to  box  his  ears  for  that." 

The  girls  were  shown  over  the  camp,  and  even 
taken  down  to  the  rifle  ranges,  in  the  meantime 
being  told  about  the  very  excellent  scores  Jack 
and  Fred  had  made. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  the  girls  were  to  be 
away  from  Clearwater  Hall  for  two  days.  They 
were  to  spend  one  day  with  the  boys  at  Camp 
Barlight  and  the  following  day  near  Camp  Hux- 
well,  where  Alice  Strobell  had  an  aunt  living  who 
had  promised  to  take  them  all  in  for  the  night. 

"We'll  come  over  here  early  in  the  morning 
for  you  boys,"  said  Martha,  "and  then  all  of  us 
can  visit  Camp  Huxwell  together.  I've  already 
sent  word  to  dad,  and  Mary  has  sent  word  to 
Uncle  Sam,  so  they  will  be  on  the  lookout  for 
us." 


GIRL  VISITORS  233 

"That  will  be  fine!"  cried  Jack.  "I've  been 
wanting  to  see  that  camp  ever  since  we  got  here, 
but,  somehow,  I  couldn't  get  away  to  do  it." 

"And  I  want  to  see  my  dad,  too,"  added  Fred 
enthusiastically. 

The  twins  were  likewise  eager  to  see  the  gov 
ernment  camp  and  their  uncles,  but  they  were 
somewhat  depressed,  and  could  not  help  but  show 
it. 

"I  know  what's  the  matter,"  whispered  Mar 
tha  to  her  brother.  "They  are  thinking  about 
their  father.  Poor  Uncle  Tom!  What  a  shame 
it  is  that  he  couldn't  join  father  and  Uncle  Sam." 

"Well,  you  know  how  they  arranged  it,"  an 
swered  the  young  captain.  "Somebody  had  to 
stay  at  home  to  manage  the  business." 

While  the  Rovers  and  their  chums  were  show 
ing  the  girls  around  the  camp,  Gabe  Werner  and 
Bill  Glutts  eyed  them  enviously. 

"I  don't  see  why  they  are  permitted  to  have 
girls  come  here  and  visit  them,"  growled  the  ex- 
lieutenant 

"Girls  are  all  out  of  place  in  a  camp  like  this," 
added  the  wholesale  butcher's  son.  "You  can't 
have  the  same  amount  of  freedom  with  those 
skirts  around." 

"I  just  heard  something,"  put  in  Codfish,  who 
had  come  op  a  moment  before.  'The  Rorers 


234 

and  those  other  fellows  are  going  to  take  the  girls 
out  into  the  woods  for  a  picnic." 

"Where  did  you  get  that  news?"  asked  Glutts 
quickly. 

"I  heard  the  cook  telling  one  of  his  helpers. 
They  are  fixing  up  a  great  big  bunch  of  grub  for 
them." 

"Huh!  some  folks  have  nerve,"  grumbled 
Werner.  "I  suppose  he'll  let  'em  have  all  the  best 
things  there  are  in  camp  and  we  can  take  what's 
left" 

"Chopped-up  onions,  for  instance,"  and  Glutts 
grinned. 

"I'll  onion  them,  you  see  if  I  don't !"  cried  Gabe 
Werner.  And  then  he  suddenly  caught  his  crony 
by  the  arm.  "Say,  I've  got  an  idea!  If  we  can 
get  away  and  follow  those  fellows  maybe  we  can 
spoil  their  old  picnic  for  'em." 

"I  get  you !"  cried  Glutts  quickly. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  questioned  Cod 
fish. 

"Will  you  keep  your  mouth  shut  if  we  take  you 
in  on  this?"  demanded  the  ex-lieutenant. 

"Of  course  I'll  keep  my  mouth  shut." 

"All  right  then,  you  can  come  in,  Henry.  But 
remember,  if  you  open  your  trap  on  us  we'll  come 
down  on  you  like  a  ton  of  bricks,"  added  Gabe. 

The  matter  was  talked  over  for  several  min- 


GIRL  VISITORS  235 

utes  by  Werner  and  Glutts,  and  then  Codfish  was 
dispatched  to  the  cook's  quarters  on  an  errand. 

The  girls  enjoyed  eating  the  regular  mess  lunch 
immensely.  Each  was  provided  by  the  boys  with 
a  new  mess  kit  and  instructed  into  the  art  of  using 
the  same.  They  sat  at  the  main  table  in  the  mess 
hall,  a  table  presided  over  by  Captain  Dale  him 
self. 

"This  is  quite  an  honor,  ladies,"  said  the  old 
West  Pointer  politely.  "It's  the  first  time  we 
have  had  so  many  of  the  opposite  sex  »n  any  of 
our  camps." 

"It  is  very  lovely  of  you,  Captain  Dale,  to  per 
mit  us  to  come,"  said  Ruth.  "I  am  sure  we  all 
thank  you  very  much  for  all  the  courtesies  you 
have  shown  us." 

"Indeed  we  do !"  came  from  the  others. 

"I'm  afraid  this  meal  will  put  a  little  damper 
on  our  picnic,"  remarked  Fred.  "We  should 
have  eaten  our  lunch  out  in  the  woods." 

"Don't  you  worry  about  that,"  retorted  Andy. 
"We'll  be  ready  for  another  meal  after  we've 
tramped  about  over  the  rocks  and  among  the  trees 
for  several  hours." 

The  food  to  be  taken  along  had  been  placed  in 
three  old  knapsacks  with  which  the  camp  was 
provided,  and  these  the  twins  and  Spouter  placed 
en  their  back  when  they  set  off  for  the  woods. 


236        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

All  were  in  high  spirits,  and  Andy  and  Randy 
whistled  gaily  as  they  trudged  along. 

"Let  us  go  up  on  top  of  one  of  the  cliffs,"  sug 
gested  Jack,  after  they  had  been  tramping  for 
the  best  part  of  an  hour.  "We  ought  to  be  able 
to  get  a  splendid  view  of  the  bay  from  there." 

The  others  were  willing,  and  about  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon  they  reached  a  high,  rocky  point, 
overlooking  Barlight  Bay  and  the  rolling  Atlantic. 
It  was  a  clear,  sunshiny  day,  and  consequently 
they  could  see  for  miles  in  several  directions. 

"I  see  a  big  steamer  coming  up  the  coast!" 
cried  Gif  presently.  "See  the  trail  of  smoke  she 
is  leaving  behind  her  ?" 

"I  wonder  if  those  big  coastwise  steamers  are 
in  any  danger  of  the  German  submarines?"  re 
marked  Martha. 

"Oh,  I  don't  believe  there  are  any  submarines 
around  here,"  said  Randy. 

"Don't  be  too  sure  about  that,"  put  in  Jack. 
"Don't  forget  that  the  Huns  sent  over  several  of 
their  U-boats  before  we  even  got  into  the  war." 

"There  may  be  more  German  submarines  lurk 
ing  in  these  waters  than  we  have  any  idea  of," 
remarked  Spouter.  "It  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
the  Central  Powers  have  an  enormous  number  of 
submarines,  and  that  they  have  been  sent  to  all 
the  important  lanes  of  travel  in  the  Atlantic 


GIRL  VISITORS 


237 


Ocean,  as  well  as  the  Mediterranean  Sea  and  the 
North  Sea.  They  have  got  the  science  of  build 
ing  U-boats  down  exceedingly  fine,  and  they  evi 
dently  know  exactly  how  to  handle  such  craft. 
And  not  only  that,  but  they  have  invented  some 
exceedingly  destructive  torpedoes,  and  likewise 
some  devices " 

"Say,  Spouter,  have  you  started  to  deliver  a 
lecture  on  German  submarines?"  demanded 
Randy. 

"Please  remember  that  we  came  to  camp  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  escaping  lectures,"  added  his 
twin. 

"I'm  not  delivering  a  lecture,"  returned 
Spouter  coldly.  "I  was  only  trying  to  pound  into 
your  somewhat  bonelike  heads  a  few  important 
facts.  But,  of  course,  the  task  is  rather  a  useless 
one,  because  you  wouldn't  be  able  to  assimilate 
such  knowledge  even  if " 

Spouter*s  oratory  was  cut  short  by  a  wad  of 
wet  leaves  which  Randy  picked  up  and  hurled  at 
him.  Then  Andy  poked  him  with  a  long  tree 
branch  he  had  picked  up,  and  for  a  few  minutes 
there  was  quite  a  good-natured  pitched  battle, 
the  girls  looking  on  with  much  interest. 

"Avast  and  heave  tot"  roared  Andy,  melo 
dramatically.  "Over  the  top  and  at  'em !  Chew 
'em  up  alive!  Don't  let  'em  cry  'Kamerad'! 


238       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

Make  'em  yell,  'Have  you  used  Brickbat's  Soap !' ' 
And  at  this  there  was  a  shriek  of  laughter  from 
the  girls. 

When  the  horseplay  had  finally  come  to  an  end, 
the  young  folks  walked  out  on  the  rocks  where 
they  might  get  a  better  view  of  the  bay  and  the 
ocean  beyond.  As  was  quite  natural,  the  boys 
and  the  girls  paired  off  together,  and  Jack  saw 
to  it  that  Ruth  obtained  a  seat  that  was  comfort 
able.  Fred  did  the  same  for  May,  while  Spouter 
and  Gif  walked  on  a  short  distance  further  with 
the  two  Rover  girls. 

The  knapsacks  containing  the  food  had  been 
left  on  some  flat  rocks  a  short  distance  to  the 
rear.  So  that  they  might  not  get  too  warm,  the 
boys  had  placed  some  brushwood  over  them, 
along  with  some  wraps  which  the  girls  had 
brought  along. 

Although  the  Rovers  and  their  chums  did  not 
know  it,  they  had  been  followed  into  the  woods 
by  Werner,  Glutts  and  Stowell,  who  had  obtained 
a  brief  leare  of  absence  from  the  officer  of  the 
day.  The  trio  had  watched  the  girls  and  their 
cadet  friends  closely,  and  viewed  the  disposal  of 
the  knapsacks  and  the  wraps  with  satisfaction. 

"Here  is  where  we  get  square  with  them," 
muttered  Gabe.  "We'll  fix  'em  for  putting 
chopped-up  onions  in  our  mess  kits !" 


GIRL  VISITORS  239 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  those  onions 
I  got  for  you?'*  questioned  Codfish. 

"We'll  doctor  up  every  bit  of  their  food  with 
'em,"  answered  Glutts.  "They  can  have  onion 
sandwiches  and  onion  cake  and  onion  pie  galore. 
My,  but  that  lunch  will  be  one  sweet  mess  when 
we  get  through  with  it !"  he  added  gleefully. 

"Yes,  and  I'll  tell  you  another  thing  we  can 
do,"  pursued  Gabe  Werner  maliciously.  "We  can 
put  some  of  the  chopped-up  onions  into  the  pock 
ets  of  those  girls'  coats.  That  will  make  Jem  all 
smell  fine!" 

"Oh,  say !  do  you  think  you  ought  to  touch  the 
girls'  things?"  questioned  Codfish  timidly. 

"Sure!  That  will  give  those  fellows  a  job 
cleaning  the  mess  up,"  answered  Gabe  heartlessly. 

"But  we  don't  want  to  get  caught."  Now  that 
the  time  had  arrived  to  play  the  joke  on  the  Rov 
ers  and  their  friends,  the  sneak  of  the  school  was 
beginning  to  tremble. 

"Oh,  we  won't  get  caught,"  said  Werner. 
"Come  on.  They  are  all  out  of  sight,  and  it  will 
be  dead  easy  to  turn  the  trick," 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

IOM  ROVER'S  ANNOUNCEMENT 

FRED  and  May  had  gone  up  to  the  topmost 
point  of  the  cliff  overlooking  Barlight  Bay.  Here 
they  could  get  a  view  not  only  of  the  water  front, 
but  likewise  of  the  Colby  Hall  camp  stretched 
out  in  the  clearing  to  the  northeast  of  the  woods. 
The  wind  was  blowing  rather  freely,  and  pres 
ently  the  youngest  Rover  noticed  that  the  girl 
beside  him  shivered. 

"Why,  you  are  cold,  May!  You  should  have 
brought  your  coat  along,"  Fred  declared. 

"I  wish  I  had,"  May  answered. 

"Let  me  run  back  and  get  it." 

"Oh,  don't  bother,  Fred.  We  won't  stay  up 
here  so  very  long." 

"It's  no  bother  at  all.  It  will  take  me  only  a 
few  minutes  to  get  it,"  answered  the  young  lieu 
tenant  gallantly,  and  began  to  climb  down  the 
rocks. 

It  did  not  take  Fred  long  to  reach  a  point  where 
liie  cliff  was  more  level,  and  then  he  hurried  off 

240 


TOM  ROVER'S  ANNOUNCEMENT         241 

in  the  direction  where  the  knapsacks  and  the 
wraps  had  been  left. 

"Hello!  what's  this?"  he  asked  himself,  com 
ing  up  beside  the  flat  rocks.  "I'm  sure  we  left 
them  here."  But  neither  the  knapsacks  with  food 
nor  the  wraps  were  anywhere  in  sight.  Fred 
scratched  his  head,  wondering  if  he  were  dream 
ing. 

"Hi,  fellows!"  he  called  out.  "Something 
wrong  here !" 

"What's  the  matter?"  yelled  Gif,  who  was  the 
nearest  of  the  others. 

"The  knapsacks  and  wraps !    They  are  gone !" 

"Gone!  Do  you  mean  somebody  has  taken 
them?"  exclaimed  Gif. 

"Yes,  I  do !    Call  the  others,  quick." 

As  Fred  uttered  the  last  words  he  darted  away 
from  the  flat  rocks.     He  had  seen  a  movement 
behind  some  trees  and  bushes  not  a  great  die 
tance  away.     As  he  drew  closer  to  the  spot  he 
heard  Codfish  give  a  cry  of  alarm. 

"We're  discovered!     Fred  Rover  is  coming!" 

"Hi,  Codfish!  what  are  you  doing  here?"  de 
manded  Fred.  But  instead  of  answering,  the 
sneak  of  the  school  set  off  on  a  run  through  the 
woods  as  fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him. 

By  thio  time  Gif  was  coming  up,  followed  by 
Andy  and  Randy,  while  Jack  and  several  others 


242        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

of  the  party  were  trying  to  get  down  from  the 
rocks  at  the  front  of  the  cliff. 

"Who  was  it?  Who  took  the  things?"  ques 
tioned  Gif  hurriedly. 

"I  saw  Codfish,"  answered  Fred.  "And  there 
are  Glutts  and  Werner!"  he  added  suddenly,  as 
the  pair  came  into  view  between  the  trees.  They 
were  running  swiftly,  carrying  the  three  knap 
sacks  between  them.  Codfish  had  been  carrying 
the  girls'  wraps,  but  had  dropped  them  in  his 
fright. 

"The  mean  rascals,  they  were  going  to  make 
off  with  our  eats!"  roared  Spouter.  "Come 
ahead !  Let's  catch  'em !" 

There  was  no  need  for  him  to  utter  these 
words,  for  already  Gif  and  Fred  were  making 
after  Werner,  Glutts  and  Codfish  at  top  speed. 
Behind  them  came  all  of  the  other  cadets,  each 
now  aware  of  what  had  occurred. 

"Hang  the  luck!  I  didn't  think  they  would 
spot  us  like  this,"  panted  Gabe,  as  he  lumbered 
along.  He  had  a  knapsack  in  each  hand,  while 
Glutts  carried  the  third.  Codfish,  free-iianded, 
was  just  ahead  of  them. 

The  three  had  a  fair  start,  and  might  have  got 
ten  away  by  hiding  behind  the  trees  and  brush 
wood  of  the  forest  had  not  the  unlucky  Codfish 
met  with  an  accident.  His  foot  caught  in  an  ex- 


TOM  ROVER'S  ANNOUNCEMENT 


243 


posed  tree  root,  and  down  went  the  sneak  of  the 
school  flat  on  his  breast.  Then,  before  they 
could  stop  themselves,  Werner  and  Glutts  fell 
over  him,  banging  him  on  the  head  with  the  heavy 
knapsacks  as  they  did  so. 

"Oh!  Oh!"  moaned  Codfish.  "Don't  hit  me 
like  that !  Get  off !  You  are  smashing  my  ribs !" 

Werner  and  Glutts  rolled  over,  letting  go  of 
the  knapsacks  as  they  did  so,  and  scrambled  to 
their  feet.  But  these  movements  took  time,  and 
in  the  meanwhile  Fred  and  Gif  rushed  up,  catch 
ing  each  by  the  arm. 

"You  let  go  of  me,  Fred  Rover!"  cried  the 
wholesale  butcher's  son;  and  when  the  youngest 
Rover  did  not  do  as  commanded,  Glutts  made  a 
savage  pass  with  his  fist. 

Had  the  blow  landed  as  intended,  Fred  would 
have  been  struck  full  in  the  nose,  but  he  knew 
something  about  boxing,  and  dodged  cleverly,  and 
then  he  came  back  at  Glutts  with  a  blow  in  the 
ear  which  sent  that  youth  sprawling  once  more. 

In  the  meantime  Werner  attempted  to  get 
away  from  Gif.  But  that  athletic  youth  put  out 
a  foot  behind  the  ex-lieutenant,  and  down  went 
Gabe  once  more  on  the  panting  and  bewildered 
Codfish.  Both  rolled  over  among  the  tree  roots, 
and  it  was  several  seconds  before  they  could  un 
tangle  themselves  and  get  to  their  feet. 


244        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

By  this  time  Andy  and  Randy  had  come  up, 
and  a  short  while  later  Jack  and  the  others  ap 
peared. 

"What's  this  all  about?"  demanded  Jack,  who, 
as  a  captain  of  the  cadets,  felt  that  he  was  in 
charge. 

"They  were  sneaking  off  with  the  grub  and 
with  the  girls'  wraps,"  answered  Fred.  "I 
spotted  them  just  in  the  nick  of  time.  Another 
half  minute,  and  they  would  have  been  out  of 
sight." 

"We  weren't  going  to  take  the  things  away. 
We  were  only  going  to  hide  'em,"  said  Gabe  Wer 
ner.  He  saw  that  there  was  now  no  chance  to 
run  for  it,  because  he  and  his  cronies  were  com 
pletely  outnumbered. 

"Gee,  what  an  awful  smell!"  broke  suddenly 
from  Randy. 

"No  cologne  there/'  said  Jack. 

"Smells  like  garlic,"  said  one  of  the  other  ca 
dets,  holding  his  nose. 

"It's  onions !"  declared  Andy  emphatically.  "I 
guess  I  know  onions  when  I  smell  'em,"  he  added 
significantly. 

Werner  started,  and  then  looked  more  dis 
turbed  than  ever,  and  so  did  Bill  Glutts.  Both 
clapped  their  hands  to  their  side  pockets.  Some 
thing  was  soaking  through  the  cloth  of  their  uni- 


TOM  ROVER'S  ANNOUNCEMENT 


245 


forms.  The  others  came  closer,  and  then  Andy 
and  Randy  set  up  a  roar  of  laughter. 

"Chopped-up  onions !"  cried  the  former  of  the 
twins.  "What  do  you  know  about  that!  They 
are  carrying  pockets  full  of  chopped-up  onions! 
Wow!" 

"I'll  bet  I  know  what  they  were  going  to  do 
with  those!"  declared  Randy.  "They  -were  go 
ing  to  doctor  up  our  grub  with  'em !" 

"Well,  what  if  we  were?"  said  Gabe  Werner 
boldly.  "Didn't  you  fellows  doctor  up  our  mess 
kits?" 

"Did  they  have  a  chance  to  get  at  the  stuff  in 
the  knapsacks  ?"  questioned  Jack  anxiously. 

The  girls  were  now  coming  up  in  a  bunch,  won 
dering  what  the  disturbance  meant.  A  swift  ex 
amination  proved  that  Werner  and  those  with 
him  had  had  no  opportunity  to  disturb  the  things 
to  eat,  nor  had  they  done  any  harm  to  the 
girls'  wraps  outside  of  mussing  them  up  a 
trifle.  f 

"Say,  we  ought  to  give  those  fellows  the  lick 
ing  of  their  lives,"  declared  Fred  emphatically. 
"The  idea  of  wanting  to  play  a  joke  like  that  with 
the  girls  around!" 

"No,  we  want  no  fighting  to-day,"  declared 
Jack.  "This  affair  can  wait."  He  turned  to  the 
ttaworthy  ones.  "You  clear  out  of  here,  and  be 


246        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

mighty  quick  about  iti  We'll  settle  with  you  an 
other  time." 

"Come  on — I'm  going  back  to  camp!"  cried 
Codfish  timidly,  and  without  waiting  for  a  reply 
he  struck  off  through  the  woods. 

"You  needn't  think  you  can  boss  everything, 
Jack  Rover,  even  if  you  are  a  captain,"  growled 
Werner.  "On  account  of  the  girls,  we  won't  say 
anything  more  about  it  just  now.  Come  on, 
Bill."  And  a  few  seconds  later  he  and  his  crony 
followed  Codfish,  and  soon  all  were  out  of 
sight. 

For  the  time  being  the  encounter  with  the  Wer 
ner  crowd  put  a  damper  on  the  others.  But  they 
were  young  in  hearts  and  spirits,  and  soon  they 
forgot  what  had  taken  place  and  went  back  to 
the  front  of  the  cliffs.  Here  they  presently 
opened  up  the  knapsacks,  and  the  boys  allowed  the 
girls  to  fix  the  spread  for  them  while  they  built 
a  small  fire  in  a  hollow  between  the  rocks  where 
they  made  a  large  pot  of  chocolate.  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  all  enjoyed  the  outing  very  much,  and 
were  sorry  when  it  was  time  to  bring  it  to  an 
end. 

When  the  boys  and  their  visitors  had  returned 
to  Camp  Barlight,  and  the  young  cadets  had  seen 
the  girls  safely  on  their  way  in  the  two  automo 
biles,  they  set  out  on  a  hunt  for  Werner  and  his 


TOM  ROVER'S  ANNOUNCEMENT 


247 


crowd.  But  those  unworthies  kept  well  out  of 
sight,  only  showing  themselves  at  roll  call  and 
when  it  was  time  to  eat,  and  then  disappearing 
as  if  by  magic. 

"They  are  afraid  to  meet  us,"  was  Fred's  com 
ment. 

"Well,  I'm  just  as  well  satisfied,"  answered 
Jack.  "If  we  got  into  a  fight  it  might  mean  all 
sorts  of  trouble  for  us  if  Captain  Dale  or  the  pro 
fessors  heard  of  it." 

The  Rovers  were  up  bright  and  early  the  fol 
lowing  morning  and  on  the  lookout  once  more  for 
the  girls.  Soon  they  came  in  sight,  and  then  the 
Rovers,  along  with  Gif  and  Spouter,  got  into  the 
two  automobiles,  and  all  headed  straight  for 
Camp  Huxwell. 

"My,  what  a  big  place !"  exclaimed  Jack,  when, 
after  being  inspected,  they  were  permitted  to  pass 
through  the  main  gateway. 

"I  understand  they  have  over  twenty-five  thou 
sand  men  here  now,"  said  Spouter. 

Some  bodies  of  soldiers  at  a  distance  were  go 
ing  through  various  maneuvers,  while  other  bod 
ies  still  further  away  were  hard  at  work  at  bayo 
net  practice,  charging  and  stabbing  some  sacks 
of  hay  hung  on  long  wires.  At  still  another  point 
the  soldiers  were  constructing  trenches  and  dug 
outs  in  real  military  fashion. 


248       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"They've  got  to  learn  a  lot  to  be  real  soldiers," 
was  Randy's  comment. 

By  following  the  directions  given  to  them,  it 
did  not  take  long  for  the  young  folks  to  reach 
the  vicinity  of  the  regiment  to  which  Dick  Rover 
and  his  brother  Sam  were  attached.  The  captain 
and  the  lieutenant  were  on  the  lookout  for  them, 
and  hurried  to  meet  them. 

"We  are  very  glad  to  see  all  of  you,"  said  Dick 
Rover,  catching  his  son  by  the  hand  and  kissing 
his  daughter  affectionately.  "You  can't  imagine 
how  much  we  have  missed  you." 

"Nor  how  much  we  have  missed  you,"  returned 
Martha,  her  eyes  growing  suddenly  misty. 

"How  are  you  making  it,  Dad?  Do  you  feel 
like  a  regular  soldier  yet?"  questioned  Fred  of 
his  parent. 

"Oh,  we  are  working  into  it,  Fred,"  replied 
Sam  Rover. 

"How  soon  do  you  expect  to  go  to  Europe?" 
questioned  Mary  quickly. 

"There  is  a  rumor  that  we  shall  leave  in  a  week 
or  two." 

"Oh!  as  soon  as  that?"  came  from  several  of 
the  others. 

"Of  course  we  can't  tell  positively,"  went  on 
Fred's  father.  He  turned  to  Andy  and  Randy. 
"By  the  way,  boys,  I've  got  a  surprise  for  yoo,v 


TOM  ROVER'S  ANNOUNCEMENT          249 

he  added.  "Your  father  will  be  down  here  this 
morning.  In  fact,  we  are  expecting  him  any 
minute." 

"Is  he  coming  alone?"  asked  Andy. 

"I  don't  think  so.  He  spoke  about  bringing 
your  mother  with  him,  and  possibly  he  may  bring 
your  Aunt  Dora  and  your  Aunt  Grace." 

"Oh,  that  would  be  fine!"  exclaimed  Mary. 
She  happened  to  glance  around.  "Well,  I  de 
clare  !  Here  they  come  now !"  And  in  a  moment 
more  the  folks  from  New  York  City  leaped  out 
of  a  newly-arrived  automobile  and  strode  toward 
the  others.  There  was  a  great  amount  of  kissing 
and  handshaking,  and  Tom  Rover's  face  showed 
his  great  excitement. 

"I've  got  an  announcement  to  make,"  said  the 
father  of  the  twins,  when  he  could  command  the 
attention  of  the  others.  "A  very  important  an 
nouncement.  I  am  going  to  become  a  soldier  and 
figkt  with  the  rest  of  the  fellows  in  France/' 


CHAPTER  XXV 

AT   CAMP    HUXWELL 

FOR  a  moment  after  Tom  Rover  made  the  im 
portant  announcement  all  of  the  others  stared  at 
him,  unable  to  speak. 

"Do  you  really  mean  it,  Dad?"  cried  Randy, 
the  first  to  break  the  silence.  "Are  you  really 
going  to  the  front?" 

"Yes,  Son.  I  just  got  word  early  this  morn 
ing  which  makes  it  possible  for  me  to  leave  New 
York  and  join  the  army,"  answered  the  father, 
with  a  smile. 

"Hurrah!  That's  the  best  ever!"  shouted 
Andy,  throwing  his  cap  into  the  air.  "I  knew 
you'd  do  it,  Dad."  And,  rushing  forward,  he 
grabbed  his  father  and  gave  him  a  big  hug. 

"But — but — I  really  don't  understand,"  stam 
mered  Dick  Rover,  for  once  so  surprised  he  could 
scarcely  speak.  "How  did  you  fix  it  up,  Tom?" 

"Allen  Charter  is  going  to  do  the  trick  for  me," 
answered  Tom  Rover. 

"Allen  Charter?"  exclaimed  Sam  Rover.  "I 
250 


AT  CAMP  HUXWELL  251 

thought  you  said  he  had  declined  and  was  going 
to  volunteer!" 

"He  did  volunteer;  but  they  wouldn't  accept 
him — something  the  matter  with  his  heart,  I  be 
lieve.  Anyway,  they  wouldn't  take  him.  Of 
course,  Charter  was  much  downcast.  But  he  at 
once  came  to  me  and  said  he  would  take  hold  of 
our  concern.  He's  going  to  do  it  in  connection 
with  Mr.  Frank  A.  A.  Powell,  Songbird's  uncle, 
the  lawyer  who  helped  us  out  so  much  when  we 
had  our  trouble  with  Pelter,  Japson  &  Company," 
continued  Tom  Rover,  referring  to  a  matter  the 
details  of  which  were  given  in  the  volume  en 
titled,  "The  Rover  Boys  in  New  York." 

"And  he's  been  just  the  craziest  fellow  ever 
was  since  he  fixed  it  so  he  could  go,"  declared 
Nellie,  Tom's  wife.  "He  tore  around  the  house 
like  a  wild  Indian,  trying  to  get  his  things  into 
shape.  I  guess  he  has  an  idea  he's  going  to  take 
a  kit  and  a  gun  and  go  over  to  France  this  after 
noon." 

Of  course  the  older  folks  wanted  more  of  the 
particulars,  and  as  the  whole  party  strolled  over 
to  Captain  Dick  Rover's  quarters,  Tom  related 
them. 

"Of  course  I'm  sorry  that  Allen  Charter  can't 
go  to  the  front,"  said  the  father  of  the  twins, 
"but  I  am  mighty  glad  that  we  can  get  him  to  take 


252 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 


charge,  for  he  is  not  only  a  first-class  businesj 
man,  but  you  know  he  is  honesty  itself." 

"Yes,  I  know  that,"  answered  Dick.  "• 
wouldn't  want  a  better  fellow." 

"And  if  Mr.  Frank  Powell  works  with  \<i(A, 
I'm  sure  matters  will  go  along  very  nicely,"  put 
in  Sam.  He  caught  his  brother  by  the  shoulder. 
"Say,  Tom,  this  is  the  best  news  yet !  Don't  you 
know  Dick  and  I  have  had  the  worst  kind  of 
blues  thinking  that  you  must  be  left  behind?" 

"But,  Dad !  aren't  you  going  in  for  a  commisi 
sion  of  some  sort?"  questioned  Andy  quickly. 

"Nothing  doing  in  that  line,"  answered  Tom 
Rover  promptly.  "I've  always  been  a  high  pri 
vate  in  the  rear  rank  in  the  past,  and  I  suppose 
that  is  what  I  shall  be  in  the  present  and  the  fu 
ture — although,  of  course,  I  don't  expect  to  stay 
in  the  rear  rank  when  there  is  some  real  fighting 
ahead,"  he  added  quickly.  "Then  I  want  to  get 
in  the  front-line  trenches  and  go  over  the  top." 

"Bully  for  you,  Dad !"  shouted  Andy  slangily. 

"I've  already  put  in  my  application,  and  Major 
Kirby,  who  is  an  old  friend  of  mine,  has  promised 
to  push  it  right  through ;  so  I  think  I'll  be  landed 
here  in  a  day  or  two." 

The  coming  of  Tom  Rover  and  the  ladies  from 
New  York  City  made  the  party  at  the  camp  quite 
a  large  one.  The  boys  and  girls  enjoyed  them- 


AT  CAMP  HUXWELL  253 

selves  thoroughly.  It  could  be  seen  that  a  great 
weight  was  lifted  from  the  minds  of  the  twins, 
and  there  was  no  holding  them  in  when  it  came  to 
making  fun. 

All  too  soon  it  came  time  for  the  boys  and  girls 
to  depart.  The  Rover  boys  shook  hands  warmly 
with  their  fathers,  and  the  girls  of  course  came 
in  for  a  number  of  hugs  and  kisses. 

"Take  good  care  of  yourself,  Dad,"  said  Jack 
to  his  parent.  "Don't  let  those  Huns  shoot  you." 

"I'm  sure  you'll  be  coming  back  a  general, 
Dad,"  remarked  Fred  to  his  father. 

"And  don't  forget  to  bring  back  some  German 
helmets,  Dad,  and  things  like  that !"  cried  Randy. 

"We'll  take  any  kind  of  souvenir,  Dad — even 
a  German  sauerkraut  masher,"  put  in  Andy. 

Then  the  boys  and  girls  said  good-bye  to  their 
mothers,  and  all  hurried  off  to  the  two  automo 
biles  awaiting  them.  In  a  minute  more  they  were 
leaving  Camp  Huxwell  and  were  on  their  way  to 
Camp  Barlight.  Martha  was  openly  crying,  and 
tears  filled  the  eyes  of  Mary,  and  who  could 
blame  them?  Even  the  boys  looked  mighty  se 
rious,  and  Ruth  and  the  others  had  quite  a  task 
trying  to  cheer  them  up. 

"There  is  no  use  in  talking,"  was  the  way  Fred 
expressed  himself :  "Going  to  France  is  a  serious 
business.  It's  all  well  enough  to  talk  about  shoot- 


254 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 


ing  up  the  Huns,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  but 
don't  forget  that  the  Huns  may  do  a  little  shoot 
ing  on  their  own  account." 

"Oh,  they'll  come  back  safe  and  sound,"  de 
clared  Andy.  "They've  just  got  to?"  Yet  be 
hind  it  all  the  fun-loving  Rover  felt  just  as  bad 
as  any  of  them,  but  he  was  trying  hard  not  to 
show  it 

The  boys  were  dropped  off  at  the  encampment, 
and  then  the  girls  continued  on  the  way  to  Clear- 
water  Hall.  They  were  to  remain  at  the  Hall  for 
the  best  part  of  a  week  longer,  and  then  Mary  and 
Martha  were  going  to  join  their  mothers  and 
their  aunt  for  the  summer  vacation.  What  the 
boys  were  going  to  do  after  the  encampment  came 
to  an  end,  had  not  yet  been  decided. 

Sunday  was  passed  quietly  by  the  Rover  boys 
and  their  chums.  Religious  services  were  held 
in  the  open  air,  and  were  attended  by  nearly  all 
of  the  cadets.  In  the  afternoon  Fred  and  Jack 
took  a  walk,  accompanied  by  Gif  and  Spouter, 
the  twins  remaining  behind  to  write  some  let 
ters. 

The  walk  took  the  cadets  to  the  foot  of  the  cliff 
nearest  to  their  camp,  and  in  rounding  this  close 
to  the  water  front  they  made  a  somewhat  inter 
esting  discovery.  They  came  to  quite  an  opening 
among  the  rocks,  and,  going  inside,  found  them- 


AT  CAtlP  HUXWELL  255 

selves  in  a  regular  cavern,  ten  feet  high  in  some 
places  and  half  again  as  broad.  In  the  rear  was 
a  smaller  opening,  leading  downward  and  filled 
at  the  bay  level  with  water. 

"Who  would  think  there  would  be  a  cave  like 
this  around  here!"  remarked  Jack. 

"Good  place  to  come  to  in  case  of  a  storm," 
said  Spouter.  "A  fellow  could  play  Robinson 
Crusoe  if  he  wanted  to." 

By  the  aid  of  some  matches  the  cadets  ex 
amined  the  cavern,  but  found  nothing  in  it  of 
value.  At  some  time  in  the  past  birds  had  nested 
there,  but  that  was  all.  They  were  just  ready  to 
leave  when  Jack  suddenly  put  up  his  hand. 

"Listen!"  he  said.  "Am  I  mistaken,  or  do  I 
hear  something?" 

All  did  as  he  commanded,  and  from  a  great 
distance  a  faint  tapping  reached  their  ears.  Then 
came  a  series  of  muffled  explosions  and  a  clank 
ing  as  of  chains. 

"That's  something  like  the  noise  Randy  said 
he  heard  when  he  was  on  sentry  duty,"  remarked 
Fred.  "Don't  you  remember  how  worked  up  he 
was  over  it?" 

"What  do  you  suppose  it  is,  and  where  do  you 
suppose  it  conies  from?"  put  in  Gif. 

No  one  could  answer  those  questions.  All  was 
now  silent,  but  presently  they  heard  another  se- 


256        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

ries  of  explosions,  and  then  the  tapping  contin 
ued  steadily  for  several  minutes.  Then,  how 
ever,  the  sounds  died  away. 

"That's  got  me  guessing,"  declared  Jack,  after 
the  crowd  had  left  the  cavern.  "We'll  have  to 
tell  Randy  about  this,  and  maybe  we  had  better 
tell  Captain  Dale,  too." 

Monday  proved  an  exceedingly  sultry  day. 
The  thermometer  went  so  high  that  drills  and  ex 
ercises  in  the  sun  were  all  curtailed. 

"Looks  to  me  as  if  this  was  a  weather  breeder," 
remarked  the  young  captain  to  the  others. 

"Well,  I  don't  care  what  it  does,  if  only  it  cools 
off,"  grumbled  Randy.  "Why,  I  feel  as  if  I  was 
living  in  a  bake  oven !" 

He  had  been  told  of  the  strange  noises  heard 
in  the  cavern  at  the  bay  front,  and  had  been  much 
interested.  The  boys  had  also  spoken  to  Captain 
Dale,  who  had  promised  an  investigation. 

When  the  hour  came  for  the  cadets  to  retire 
the  sky  was  so  overcast  that  not  a  star  was  show 
ing.  A  breeze  had  sprung  up,  and  this  was  grow 
ing  brisker  every  minute. 

"I  think  we  are  in  for  a  storm,  and  a  good 

big  blow  with  it,"  announced  Captain  Dale.    And 

then  he  told  Major  Ralph  Mason  to  give  orders 

that  all  the  tent  fastenings  should  be  looked  to. 

"I'm  sure  our  tent  is  down  tight  enough,"  an- 


AT  CAMP  HUXWELL  257 

Bounced  Randy,  after  he  and  his  tent-mates  had 
made  an  investigation. 

"Well,  you  want  to  be  sure  of  it,"  remarked 
Fred,  who  was  making  the  round  of  the  tents. 
"You  don't  want  that  canvas  to  be  sailing  sky 
ward  or  out  into  the  bay." 

As  was  usual  with  them,  Gabe  Werner  and 
Bill  Glutts  growled  when  ordered  to  look  to  the 
fastenings  of  the  tent  they  and  their  cronies  oc 
cupied.  But  as  the  wind  increased  Glutts  pulled 
Gabe  to  one  side  and  whispered  something  into 
his  ear. 

"All  right — I'm  with  you,"  answered  Werner 
promptly.  "Let's  do  it  at  once.  Got  your  pocket- 
knife  handy?" 

"Yes.    Have  you?" 

"I  have.  And  it's  as  sharp  as  a  razor.  AH 
we'll  have  to  do  is  to  cut  the  ropes  about  half  way 
through.  The  wind  will  do  the  rest,"  announced 
Gabe  gleefully. 

"What's  the  matter  with  fixing  up  both  tents  ?" 
went  on  the  wholesale  butcher's  son.  "You  can 
slide  over  to  the  officers'  quarters  while  I  attend 
to  the  tent  down  in  the  Company  C  line." 

"All  right!  But  hurry  up.  And  come  back 
as  soon  as  you're  through,"  cautioned  Werner. 

He  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  tent  occupied  by 
Jack  and  Fred  just  as  the  first  of  the  rain  drops 


258        THE  ROVER  ROYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

began  to  come  down.  The  wind  was  now  blowing 
half  a  gale,  and  the  canvases  of  the  encampment 
were  flapping  and  slapping  loudly. 

Werner  had  his  pocketknife  open,  and  it  did 
not  take  him  long  to  begin  operations.  Five  of 
the  ropes  which  held  the  tent  to  the  pegs  were 
all  but  severed,  and  then  he  began  work  on  the 
next. 

"Stop  that !    What  do  you  mein,  you  rascal  ?" 

Gabe  Werner  turned,  and  as  he  straightened  up 
he  found  himself  face  to  face  with  Jack.  The 
young  captain  had  been  on  an  errand  to  the  next 
tent,  and  had  seen  the  rascally  ex-lieutenant  in 
the  darkness  more  by  chance  than  by  anything 
else. 

"What's  the  matter  out  there?"  called  Fred 
from  the  interior  of  the  tent. 

"Here  is  Gabe  Werner!  He's  cutting  the 
ropes !"  And  now  Jack  caught  the  big  youth  by 
the  arm. 

"Let  go  of  me,  Rover!"  demanded  the  ex- 
lieutenant,  and  then  he  raised  the  hand  that  held 
the  pocketknife. 

It  is  not  likely  that  he  would  have  used  the 
weapon.  But  Jack  did  not  care  to  take  any 
chances.  As  quick  as  a  flash  he  hauled  back,  and 
then  his  fist  crashed  into  Gabe  Werner's  chin, 
sending  him  sprawling  on  his  back. 


AT  CAMP  HUXWELL  259 

For  a  second  or  two  the  big  ex-lieutenant  was 
dazed,  but  then,  with  a  muttered  imprecation,  he 
leaped  up,  dropping  his  pocketknife  as  he  did 
so,  and  rushed  at  Jack,  hitting  him  in  the  shoul 
der. 

By  this  time  the  blood  of  the  young  captain 
was  up.  He  dodged  a  second  blow  delivered  by 
Werner,  and  then  his  fist  shot  out  quickly,  land 
ing  on  the  ex-lieutenant's  nose,  drawing  blood. 

"Ouch !"  spluttered  Werner,  and  then  he  made 
a  leap  and  grappled  with  Jack.  There  followed 
a  lively  mix-up  in  which  blows  were  given  and 
taken  freely. 

In  the  meantime  Fred  set  up  a  cry  of  alarm,  not 
knowing  who  was  attacking  his  cousin.  In  a 
few  seconds  a  number  of  cadets  and  Professor 
Brice  came  hurrying  in  that  direction. 

"I've  got  to  clear  out,  but  I'll  fix  you  another 
time,  Rover,"  hissed  Gabe  Werner,  and  attempted 
to  retreat. 

"You're  not  going  to  get  away,  Werner !"  cried 
Jack,  and,  making  a  leap  forward,  he  gave  the 
ex-lieutenant  a  blow  behind  the  ear  which  sent 
him  to  the  ground  all  but  unconscious. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

AN    ASTONISHING   DISCOVERY 

"WHAT  does  this  mean,  Captain  Rover?"  de 
manded  Professor  Brice,  as  he  rushed  up,  lan 
tern  in  hand  and  followed  quickly  by  Major 
Ralph  Mason  and  a  dozen  other  cadets. 

"I  caught  this  rascal  cutting  the  ropes  to  our 
tent,"  explained  Jack. 

"Gee,  you'd  better  hold  that  tent  down !"  cried 
one  of  the  cadets.  "There  go  three1  of  the  ropes 
now !"  And  what  he  said  was  true,  the  ropes  in 
question  being  those  that  Werner  had  partly  sev 
ered  with  his  knife. 

Fred  had  come  out  of  the  tent,  and  now  he  and 
a  number  of  the  other  cadets  held  down  the  can 
vas  so  that  the  wind  could  not  get  under  it.  Tt 
was  blowing  furiously,  so  that  they  had  no  easy 
job  of  it  to  keep  the  tent  from  going  up. 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  he  really  cut  the  ropes 
here?"    demanded    Professor   Brice    sternly,    as 
Werner  gathered  himself   together  on  the  wet 
ground  and  slowly  arose  to  his  feet. 
260 


AN  ASTONISHING  DISCOVERY  261 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Jack.  "And  there  is  the  knife 
he  did  it  with,"  he  added,  pointing  to  the  pocket 
piece  which  had  fallen  under  the  ex-lieutenant. 

"It  was — er — it  was — er — only  a  bit  of  fun," 
stammered  Werner,  not  knowing  what  else  to 
say.  "And  Jack  Rover  had  no  right  to  pitch  into 
me  the  way  he  did !" 

"I  had  a  perfect  right  to  do  so,  Professor 
Brice,"  announced  Jack.  "If  I  wanted  to  say 

more But  I  won't  do  it  now,"  he  added. 

"I'll  make  a  report  to  you  in  private." 

By  this  time  the  camp  was  in  an  uproar,  for 
down  the  line  where  Company  C  was  located 
there  had  been  another  rumpus.  Gif,  going  out 
on  guard  duty,  had  caught  sight  of  Bill  Glutts 
just  as  the  latter  had  cut  two  of  the  ropes  to  the 
tent  occupied  by  him  and  Spouter  and  the  twins. 
Gif  had  treated  the  wholesale  butcher's  son  rather 
roughly,  and  Glutts  had  finally  yelled  for  mercy, 
bringing  out  a  crowd  of  twenty  or  thirty,  includ 
ing  the  twins. 

"This  is  a  despicable  piece  of  business,  Wer 
ner,"  said  Professor  Brice  sternly.  "I  will  at 
once  report  the  matter  to  Captain  Dale,  who,  as 
you  know,  is  in  authority  in  this  camp.  Come 
along  with  me." 

Captain  Dale  had  been  down  to  the  shore  of  the 
bay,  to  make  certain  that  there  was  no  danger 


262        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

of  the  tents  which  were  used  for  bath  houses  be 
ing  blown  away.  He  soon  came  up  and  looked 
closely  at  the  ropes  which  Werner  had  partly  sev 
ered. 

"I  don't  like  this  sort  of  thing  at  all,"  he  said 
to  the  ex-lieutenant.  "If  that  tent  had  come  down 
while  those  inside  were  asleep  somebody  might 
have  been  seriously  injured.  More  than  that,  no 
body  would  care  to  be  without  shelter  on  such  a 
night  as  this,  and  with  all  their  possessions  get 
ting  wet.  You  will  report  to  the  corporal  of  the 
guard  at  once."  Then  Captain  Dale  passed  on 
to  where  the  others  were  having  trouble  with 
Glutts,  and  he  was  also  ordered  to  report  to  the 
guard. 

In  the  meanwhile,  as  the  storm  seemed  to  be 
increasing,  Captain  Dale  gave  orders  that  the 
fastenings  of  every  tent  should  be  inspected  thor 
oughly  and  extra  ropes  and  pegs  should  be  put 
down  wherever  necessary.  He  did  not  want  any 
of  the  school  property  damaged. 

"Gee,  we'll  catch  it  for  this!"  growled  Bill 
Glutts,  when  he  and  Werner  had  been  placed  in  a 
small  wooden  shanty,  designated  a  guardhouse. 
"I  suppose  they'll  make  us  do  all  sorts  of  dis 
agreeable  things  as  a  punishment." 

"I  won't  stand  for  it !"  stormed  Werner,  whose 
nose  was  still  bleeding  from  the  blow  Jack  had 


AN  ASTONISHING  DISCOVERY  263 

dealt  "They  can't  make  me  the  laughingstock 
of  this  camp." 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  ?" 

"I'm  going  home,"  announced  the  ex-lieuten 
ant. 

And  that  is  what  he  did,  stealing  avray  from 
the  camp  early  in  the  morning  just  as  the  heavy 
storm  of  the  night  was  passing  away.  He  man 
aged  to  get  a  few  of  his  possessions,  but  the  oth 
ers  had  to  be  left  behind.  He  wanted  Glutts  to 
go  with  him,  but  the  son  of  the  wholesale  butcher 
was  afraid  to  do  so. 

In  the  morning  Jack  and  the  others  had  to 
make  a  full  report  to  Captain  Dale  of  what  had 
occurred.  The  young  captain  mentioned  the  fact 
that  Werner  had  had  his  pocketknife  in  his  hand. 

"I'm  not  sure  that  he  was  going  to  use  it,"  said 
Jack.  "In  fact,  I  would  rather  think  that  he 
wouldn't  do  so.  But  I  wasn't  going  to  take  any 
chances,  and  so  I  hit  him.  Then  he  hit  back, 
and — well,  we  mixed  it  up  pretty  freely.  Finally 
I  gave  him  a  blow  that  knocked  him  flat,  and 
then  the  others  came  up/' 

"Captain  Rover,  you  know  I  do  not  approve 
of  fighting,  especially  among  officers,"  declared 
Captain  Dale  sternly.  "However,  the  introduc 
tion  of  the  pocketknife  changes  the  situation 
somewhat.  I  will  hear  what  Werner  has  to  say." 


264        THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

Then  it  was  discovered  that  Gabe  Werner  had 
left  the  camp.  He  had  written  a  note  saying  that 
he  was  going  home  and  that  he  guessed  he  would 
never  come  back  to  Colby  Hall  again.  This  be 
ing  so,  the  matter  was  dropped  so  far  as  Jack 
was  concerned.  Nor  was  Gif  punished  for  the 
•way  he  had  treated  Bill  Glutts.  Captain  Dale 
read  a  stern  lecture  to  that  unworthy,  and  for 
the  remainder  of  the  camp  term  Glutts  was  de 
prived  of  many  liberties  he  might  otherwise  have 
enjoyed. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  boys  had  for 
gotten  the  strange  noises  they  had  heard  while 
in  the  woods  and  in  the  cavern  at  the  front  of  the 
cliff.  They  had  reported  to  Captain  Dale,  and 
several  investigations  had  been  made,  but  with 
out  results.  The  captain  had  also  communicated 
with  the  authorities  at  Rackville,  and  likewise 
with  the  Secret  Service  men  stationed  at  Camp 
Huxwell. 

"Well,  I  see  they  haven't  made  any  progress 
in  the  matter  of  that  explosion  at  the  Hasley  Shell 
Loading  plant,"  remarked  Spouter  one  day,  after 
reading  a  copy  of  the  Haven  Point  newspaper 
which  had  come  in.  "They  are  looking  all  over 
for  those  two  Germans,  but  have  been  unable  to 
spot  'em." 

"I  see  the  company  is  offering  a  reward  of  ten 


AN  ASTONISHING  DISCOVERY  265 

thousand  dollars  for  the  apprehension  of  the 
men,"  came  from  Fred,  who  had  likewise  read  the 
sheet.  "Gee,  I'd  like  to  get  a  chance  at  that  re 
ward!" 

The  next  day  the  boys  were  treated  to  another 
surprise.  As  was  their  custom  when  the  weather 
and  their  duties  permitted,  they  went  in  bathing, 
and  while  diving  Fred  noticed  a  peculiar  knocking 
sound  under  water.  He  called  the  attention  of 
the  others  to  this,  and  each  cadet  heard  it  quite 
plainly. 

"It  must  come  from  the  same  place  as  those 
other  noises  we  heard,"  declared  Jack. 

"I  move  we  make  a  real  investigation!"  cried 
Andy.  "Let's  ask  for  a  day  off  and  scour  the 
woods  thoroughly." 

"That's  the  talk,"  cried  Fred. 

The  others  were  willing,  and  received  permis 
sion  to  go  out  two  days  later,  the  party  consist 
ing  of  the  four  Rovers  and  Gif  and  Spouter. 
They  took  their  lunch  with  them,  and  also  some 
canteens  of  water,  expecting  to  be  gone  until 
nightfall. 

There  was  quite  a  discussion  as  to  how  they 
"Hould  start  the  investigation.  Some  wanted  to 
go  along  the  base  of  the  cliff  at  the  water's  edge, 
while  others  were  for  making  their  way  through 
the  forest.  The  latter  suggestion  prevailed,  and 


266       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

they  started  near  the  point  where  Randy  had  first 
heard  the  strange  noises. 

The  young  cadets  tramped  hither  and  thither 
among  the  trees  and  over  the  rough  rocks  for 
four  hours  without  coming  upon  anything  un 
usual.  They  stirred  up  a  number  of  birds  and 
small  animals,  but  that  was  all. 

"Looks  like  a  wild-goose  chase,"  remarked 
Jack,  when  they  sat  down  to  rest  and  to  eat  their 
lunch. 

The  climbing  over  the  rocks  had  been  very 
tiring,  and  all  of  the  lads  were  glad  after  eating 
to  take  their  ease  for  a  while. 

Randy  was  resting  on  his  side,  wondering 
whether  it  would  be  worth  while  to  play  a  trick 
on  Gif  and  Spouter,  who  were  but  a  few  feet 
away,  when  a  movement  among  the  trees  at  a  dis 
tance  attracted  his  attention.  He  sat  up,  and  as 
he  did  so  felt  certain  that  he  had  seen  a  man 
moving  along. 

"Listen,  boys !"  he  cried  in  a  low  voice.  "There 
is  some  one  now !" 

"Where?"  came  from  the  others,  and  all 
aroused  themselves  on  the  instant 

Randy  pointed  out  the  direction,  and,  gather 
ing  up  their  things,  the  cadets  hurried  off  to 
where  he  had  pointed.  There,  sure  enough,  was 
a  man  plodding  along  with  a  bundle  over  his 


AN  ASTONISHING  DISCOVERY  267 

shoulder.  He  was  a  short,  thick-set  man,  and 
wore  a  heavy  mustache  curled  up  at  the  ends. 

"Let's  see  where  he  goes,"  said  Jack.  "Maybe 
he'll  take  us  to  that  place  where  the  noises  come 
from." 

They  followed  the  man  without  his  being  aware 
of  their  presence.  The  fellow  climbed  over  and 
around  a  number  of  rocks,  and  then  pursued  his 
way  past  a  dense  clump  of  bushes.  Then,  of  a 
sudden,  he  disappeared  from  view. 

The  cadets  were  amazed,  the  more  so  after 
they  had  tramped  around  the  spot  without  ascer 
taining  what  had  become  of  the  man. 

"Looks  as  if  the  earth  had  opened  and  swal 
lowed  him  up,"  remarked  Randy. 

The  cadets  had  advanced  with  caution,  but 
now  they  grew  bolder,  and  made  a  closer  exami 
nation.  But  it  was  all  of  no  avail — the  man  had 
disappeared,  and  where  he  had  gone  to  or  how, 
there  was  no  telling. 

"One  thing  is  sure,"  declared  Jack.  "He 
didn't  walk  away  from  here,  and  he  didn't  go 
up  into  the  air.  That  being  so,  he  must  have 
gone  down  somewhere  among  the  rocks  and 
bushes.  We  had  better  hunt  around  for  some 
sort  of  an  opening  to  a  cave,  or  something  like 
that." 

The  others  were  willing  enough,  and  spent  the 


268       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

best  part  of  an  hour  in  the  task.  But  no  open 
ing  presented  itself,  although  the  rocks  and  rough 
places  in  that  vicinity  were  numerous. 

"Here  is  something  else  we  can  report  to  Cap 
tain  Dale,"  was  Fred's  comment. 

Not  knowing  what  else  to  do,  the  boys  marked 
the  spot  so  that  they  could  remember  it,  and  then 
pushed  onward  through  the  forest.  Two  hours 
later  they  reached  a  sort  of  gully,  with  the  rough 
rocks  on  one  side  and  an  overhanging  cliff  on 
the  other. 

"Fine  place  for  snakes,"  remarked  Spouter,  as 
they  walked  along. 

"We're  not  looking  for  snakes,  so  please  don't 
mention  them,"  answered  Jack. 

Why  they  did  it,  the  boys  could  not  explain 
afterwards,  but  they  continued  along  the  gully 
until  they  reached  a  point  where  there  was  some 
thing  of  a  split  in  the  face  of  the  cliff. 

"Here's  another  one  of  those  caves  just  like 
that  which  we  found  over  on  the  bay  front,"  de 
clared  Fred.  "Let's  go  in  and  see  what  it  looks 
like." 

With  nothing  in  particular  in  view,  the  others 
were  willing,  and,  turning  on  a  flashlight  which 
they  had  brought  along,  they  climbed  down  into 
the  cave-like  opening.  It  was  very  irregular  in 
shape,  and  they  had  to  proceed  with  caution. 


AN  ASTONISHING  DISCOVERY  269 

And  then,  while  they  were  climbing  down 
among  the  rocks,  something  happened  which 
caused  each  of  the  cadets  to  start  wildly.  A 
strange  rumbling  sound  filled  the  air,  a  blowing 
and  hissing,  and  then  came  a  pounding  and  a 
clanking,  sounding  with  great  clearness  in  that 
confined  space. 

"It's  the  same  noises  we  heard  before,  and  they 
are  not  very  far  off!"  cried  Jack  to  the  others. 
"There  must  be  a  workshop  of  some  sort  around 
here." 

Hardly  knowing  what  to  expect,  the  boys  con 
tinued  to  climb  down  into  the  opening  they  had 
discovered.  Soon  they  reached  a  narrow  passage 
way,  where  going  was  a  little  easier.  Then  they 
came  to  a  spot  where  there  was  considerable  wet 
ness,  showing  that  they  had  reached  the  level  of 
the  water  in  the  bay  beyond. 

"Here  is  a  regular  underground  waterway," 
declared  Gif  presently.  "It  looks  to  be  pretty 
deep,  too." 

He  was  right.  To  the  surprise  of  everybody 
they  had  come  out  upon  what  seemed  to  be  an 
underground  pond.  On  the  side  upon  which  they 
had  emerged  there  was  a  small  sandy  slope.  The 
other  side,  and  the  far  end,  were  covered  with 
jagged  rocks. 

The  strange  blowing,  pounding,  and  clanking 


270       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

continued,  and  almost  deafened  the  cadets.  They 
felt  that  they  were  on  the  point  of  a  great  discov 
ery,  but  could  not  imagine  what  it  would  be. 

"It's  a  workshop,  all  right  enough,"  declared 
Fred,  a  minute  later.  "Jack,  put  out  that  light, 
quick !"  And  at  this  command  the  flashlight  was 
turned  off. 

The  cadets  had  rounded  a  bend  of  the  under 
ground  waterway,  and  now  at  a  distance  they 
saw  a  number  of  electric  lights  shining  brightly. 
There  was  some  machinery  set  up  among  tht 
rocks,  and  several  workmen  were  present,  all 
seemingly  busy. 

"Look!"  exclaimed  Jack,  his  eyes  almost  start 
ing  out  of  his  head  at  the  sight.  "What  do  you 
think  of  that,  fellows?" 

He  pointed  to  a  spot  beyond  where  the  strange 
men  were  working.  There  the  waterway  seemed 
to  broaden  and  deepen,  and  in  the  water  lay  a 
strange-looking  craft  more  than  three-quarters 
submerged. 

"It's  a  submarine!"  breathed  Fred  excitedly. 
"A  submarine !  What  do  you  know  about  that  ?" 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

ON   BOARD   THE   SUBMARINE 

THE  Rover  boys  and  their  chums  were  so  as 
tonished  at  the  discovery  they  had  made  that  for 
a  moment  they  could  do  little  else  than  stare  at 
the  strange  object  resting  in  the  water  ahead  of 
them. 

"Get  out  of  sight,  every  one  of  you!"  whis 
pered  Jack,  who  was  the  first  to  recover  his  self- 
possession.  "Don't  let  those  men  see  you !" 

All  backed  away  as  silently  as  possible  until 
they  were  once  more  in  the  shelter  of  the  rocks 
of  the  bend  around  which  they  had  come. 

"Say,  do  you  think  those  fellows  are  Ger 
mans?"  whispered  Randy  excitedly. 

"I  certainly  do,  Randy,"  answered  the  young 
captain. 

"Of  course  they  are  Germans !"  put  in  Gif.  "If 
they  were  Americans  why  would  they  be  conceal 
ing  themselves  in  such  an  out-of-the-way  place  as 
this?" 

"It's  a  German  submarine,  as  sure  as  you're 
271 


272       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

alive!"  remarked  Spouter.  "Fellows,  we  have 
made  a  wonderful  discovery !" 

"And  this  accounts  for  all  the  strange  noises 
we  heard,  and  the  fellows  we  saw  going  through 
the  woods  with  bundles  on  their  backs,"  added 
Randy. 

"Yes,  and  I  guess  it  straightens  out  that  story 
Jed  Kessler  told  about  the  two  Germans  in  the 
wagon  with  stuff  that  rattled  like  hardware,"  said 
Jack. 

"It's  as  plain  as  day,"  cried  Fred.  "Those  two 
fellows  must  be  connected  with  this  gang  here 
who  are  working  on  the  submarine.  And  more 
than  likely  they  were  the  same  two  Jed  Kessler 
saw  hanging  around  the  ammunition  plant  just 
before  the  explosion." 

"If  that's  a  German  submarine,  it  must  have 
come  from  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic!"  ex 
claimed  Andy  in  a  low,  excited  voice.  And  then 
he  added,  his  eyes  snapping :  "What  do  you  sup 
pose  happened  to  it  ?  Do  you  think  she  ran  afoul 
of  some  of  our  big  warships  or  our  submarine 
chasers  ?' 

"Either  that,  or  in  cruising  up  and  down  the 
coast  here  she  may  have  run  afoul  of  some  of  the 
rocks  and  maybe  knocked  a  hole  in  her  bottom  or 
side,"  answered  Jack.  "And  I  guess  it's  true 
that  all  the  pounding  and  strange  noises  we  have 


ON  BOARD   THE  SUBMARINE  373 

heard  came  either  from  this  underground  place 
05  from  some  overhead  spot  close  by." 

"What  gets  me  is — how  did  that  submarine 
get  into  this  underground  place?"  questioned 
Gif. 

"There  must  be  a  much  larger  outlet  than  the 
one  by  which  we  entered,"  answered  Jack. 
"More  than  likely  those  fellows  don't  know  any 
thing  about  the  way  by  which  we  got  in.  They 
must  have  a  large  entrance  by  way  of  the  water 
from  the  bay,  and  they  must  also  have  an  entrance 
from  the  forest — that  place  where  the  man  dis 
appeared." 

"I  guess  you're  right,"  said  Fred.  "Gee,  this 
certainly  is  an  important  discovery!  I  guess  the 
best  thing  we  can  do  is  to  hurry  back  to  camp  as 
fast  as  possible  and  notify  Captain  Dale.  He 
will  probably  want  to  let  the  Secret  Service  men 
and  the  authorities  at  Rackville  know  at  once,  so 
they  can  round  up  these  fellows  before  they  have 
a  chance  to  get  away." 

"I'd  like  to  stay  here  awhile  and  watch  these 
chaps,"  said  Randy.  "Maybe  we  may  learn  some 
thing  more  that  is  worth  while." 

The  matter  was  talked  over  by  the  cadets  for 
fully  ten  minutes.  At  the  place  to  which  they 
had  withdrawn  they  could  talk  freely,  because  the 
noises  near  the  submarine  continued,  so  there 


274       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

was  little  danger  of  their  being  overheard.  While 
they  talked  they  peeped  out  from  time  to  time  at 
the  workmen,  and  saw  that  they  were  laboring 
over  several  sheets  of  steel  and  odd  pieces  of 
machinery,  using  a  forge,  a  lathe,  and  a  small 
drop  hammer  for  that  purpose.  They  had  a  gang 
plank  leading  over  the  waterway  to  the  upper 
portion  of  the  submarine,  and  from  an  open 
hatchway  of  the  U-boat  ran  a  number  of  coils  of 
insulated  wire,  evidently  carrying  power  to  the 
electric  lights  and  also  to  the  machinery. 

"They  must  be  getting  all  their  power  from  the 
engines  of  the  submarine,"  said  Jack.  "They've 
certainly  got  themselves  pretty  well  fixed  down 
here." 

"But  how  in  the  world  did  they  manage  to 
find  this  place?"  questioned  Spouter. 

"That  remains  to  be  found  out,  Spouter. 
Probably  the  German  authorities  had  some  spies 
around  here  who  found  the  place  for  them,  or 
otherwise  they  paid  some  of  the  natives  for  the 
information." 

"You  know  my  dad  spoke  about  German  U- 
boat  bases  along  our  coast,  and  also  bases  for 
secret  wireless  telegraphy  plants,"  put  in  Fred. 
"There  is  no  telling  what  those  rascals  are  up 
to." 

It  was  decided  that  Andy  and  Randy,  accom- 


.-"A  SUBMARINE:  WHAT  DO  YOU  KNOW  ABOUT  THAT?" 

Tht  Raver  Boys  Under  Canvas.  Page  270 


ON  BOARD   THE  SUBMARINE  275 

panied  by  Spouter,  should  make  their  way  back 
to  the  opening  by  which  they  had  gained  en 
trance  to  the  underground  waterway,  and  then 
return  to  Camp  Barlight  as  quickly  as  possible 
and  acquaint  Captain  Dale  with  what  had  been 
discovered.  In  the  meanwhile,  Jack,  Fred,  and 
Gif  would  remain  behind  on  guard  in  case  the 
Germans  should  attempt  to  make  a  sudden  move. 

"We  don't  know  how  far  along  they  are  with 
their  repairs,"  declared  the  young  captain.  "It 
would  be  just  our  luck  to  have  them  sail  away 
right  under  our  noses." 

"Oh,  Jack !  couldn't  you  stop  them  in  some  way 
from  doing  that?"  questioned  Andy  quickly. 

"I  should  hope  so,  Andy.  That  is,  if  they  really 
did  try  to  get  away.  Of  course,  they  may  not  be 
anywhere  near  ready  to  leave — although  they 
have  been  here  for  some  time  according  to  the 
noises  we  have  heard.  I'd  like  to  find  out 
something  about  the  other  end  of  the  passage 
way." 

"Maybe  you  can  find  out  by  going  out  with  us 
and  around  to  the  other  end  of  the  bay,"  sug 
gested  Spouter. 

"I  was  thinking  of  that.  But  for  the  present 
I  would  rather  stay  right  here  and  watch  these 
fellows." 

It  was  not  long  after  this  when  the  twins  and 


276       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

Spouter  departed,  stating  that  they  would  report 
to  Captain  Dale  as  speedily  as  possible.  Then 
Jack  and  his  cousin  and  Gif  settled  down  to  watch 
the  Germans. 

For  Germans  they  were,  beyond  a  doubt.  They 
were  all  heavy-set,  burly  fellows,  and  once  or 
twice  when  the  machinery  was  stopped  the  cadets 
heard  one  man,  who  was  evidently  in  charge, 
give  9  number  of  commands  in  the  German 
tongue. 

For  nearly  an  hour  longer  the  pounding  and 
clanking  continued.  Most  of  the  work  was  done 
on  the  rocky  shore  of  the  waterway,  but  some 
took  place  inside  the  submarine  and  also  on  the 
forward  deck  of  the  craft.  The  submersible  was 
of  good  size,  being  over  two  hundred  feet  in 
length. 

"I'd  like  to  get  a  whack  at  that  U-boat,"  de 
clared  Gif.  "I  bet  I'd  make  it  so  she  wouldn't 
do  any  more  cruising  in  a  hurry." 

"Exactly  what  I  was  thinking,  Gif,"  said  Jack. 
"If  we  could  only  injure  the  propellers,  or  some 
thing  like  that,  there  wouldn't  be  any  danger  of 
their  sailing  away.  You  see,  they  may  have  it  all 
fixed  to  leave  at  a  minute's  notice  in  case  of  an 
alarm." 

"If  they  did  that  they'd  have  to  leave  some  of 
their  machinery  behind,"  put  in  Fred.  "But  I 


ON  BOARD   THE   SUBMARINE  277 

suppose  they'd  be  willing  to  do  even  that  rather 
than  risk  capture." 

When  the  cadets  thought  that  their  ears  could 
no  longer  bear  the  awful  noise  to  which  they  had 
been  subjected,  the  sounds  of  the  machinery  sud 
denly  ceased.  They  heard  a  strange  humming 
from  the  interior  of  the  submarine,  but  even  this 
presently  came  to  an  end,  and  then  there  was  a 
silence  within  the  cavern  which  was  absolutely 
oppressive. 

"I  guess  some  kind  of  a  move  is  at  hand," 
whispered  Jack.  "Let's  lay  low  and  see  what 
they  do  next." 

Several  men,  including  two  who  were  evidently 
officers  and  in  charge  of  the  work,  came  out  of 
the  submarine.  The  workmen  were  now  wash 
ing  up  at  the  underground  waterway,  and  pres 
ently  all  cast  aside  their  working  clothes  and 
donned  ordinary  street  garments. 

"Looks  as  if  they  were  going  to  leave,"  whis 
pered  Fred  excitedly.  "Maybe  they  are  going 
out  into  the  open  for  some  fresh  air.  I  can't 
blame  them  for  that,"  he  added,  for  throughout 
the  cavern  there  was  a  strong  smell  of  used  gaso 
line. 

Five  minutes  passed,  and  then  one  by  one  the 
Germans  walked  away  from  the  submarine.  They 
did  not  come  in  the  direction  of  the  cadets,  but 


278       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

passed  around  another  bend  of  the  rocks,  and  so 
out  of  sight. 

"That  must  be  the  way  used  by  that  fellow  we 
saw  in  the  forest,"  declared  Jack. 

All  but  three  of  the  electric  lights  had  been  put 
out,  so  that  the  interior  of  the  cavern  was  now 
quite  gloomy.  The  only  sound  that  broke  the 
stillness  was  the  soft  lap,  lap  of  some  distant 
waves,  evidently  where  they  broke  on  the  shore 
of  the  bay  close  to  the  larger  entrance  of  the 
cavern. 

"I'd  like  to  bet  that  the  entrance  is  under 
water,"  said  Fred.  "If  it  was  at  the  surface 
some  one  would  have  discovered  this  place  a  long 
time  ago."  And  in  this  surmise  the  youngest 
Rover  was  correct.  The  passageway,  which  was 
amply  large,  was  over  ten  feet  below  the  surface 
of  the  bay  even  at  low  tide. 

"Do  you  suppose  they've  all  left  the  subma 
rine?"  whispered  Gif  presently.  With  the  in 
tense  silence  prevailing,  they  felt  that  they  must 
be  very  cautious  in  making  any  noise. 

"That's  hard  to  say,"  answered  Jack,  with  a 
shrug  of  his  shoulders. 

"It  looks  so  to  me,"  put  in  Fred.  "I  don't  be 
lieve  any  of  those  fellows  would  care  to  stay 
down  here  unless  it  was  necessary.  They  have 
stopped  all  the  engines  and  things  like  that.  I 


ON  BOARD   THE  SUBMARINE 


279 


guess  those  electric  lights  are  burning  simply 
from  a  storage  battery." 

The  three  cadets  waited  for  another  ten  min 
utes,  and  then,  as  no  one  appeared,  and  as  the 
submarine  seemed  to  be  deserted,  they  stole  for 
ward  cautiously,  all  anxious  to  get  a  closer  look  at 
the  U-boat. 

"If  we  could  only  throw  a  chain  around  the 
propellers,  or  something  like  that,  maybe  it  would 
keep  them  from  getting  away  if  they  tried  to 
run  for  it,"  said  the  young  captain. 

"We'll  look  around  and  see  what  we  can  do, 
anyway,"  answered  his  cousin. 

"There  are  plenty  of  chains  around,"  put  in 
Gif.  "Those  are  what  made  the  awful  clanking 
sounds  we  heard." 

Step  by  step  the  three  cadets  came  up  until  they 
were  at  the  spot  where  the  Germans  had  set  up 
their  repair  plant.  Some  of  the  things  they  had 
been  working  upon  were  still  lying  about,  but 
other  parts  had  been  taken  aboard  the  subma 
rine. 

"I  guess  they  have  all  gone,"  said  Jack,  after 
a  look  around.  "I'm  going  aboard  that  craft 
and  take  a  peep  at  her." 

The  others  were  also  anxious  to  do  this,  and 
all  three  were  soon  across  the  gangplank  which 
led  to  the  open  hatch  of  the  U-boat.  They  gazed 


2&>   THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

down  this  hatch  with  some  awe,  and  discovered 
that  several  electric  lights  had  been  left  turned  on 
below.  A  steel  ladder  ran  down  into  the  interior 
of  the  submersible. 

"What  do  you  say — shall  we  go  below  ?"  ques 
tioned  Jack. 

"I'm  willing  if  you  are,"  answered  his  cousin. 

"And  so  am  I,"  added  Gif.  "I  don't  believe 
there  is  any  one  around." 

"Well,  we'll  take  a  chance,"  answered  the 
young  captain.  "If  there  is  any  alarm,  we'll  have 
to  run  for  it." 

"Yes,  and  we  may  have  to  fight  for  it,"  added 
Fred. 

Jack  went  down  the  ladder  quickly,  followed 
by  the  others.  They  now  found  themselves  in 
what  might  be  termed  the  main  room  of  the 
submarine.  Beyond  were  several  other  compart 
ments,  including  one  where  was  located  much  of 
the  machinery  which  ran  the  undersea  boat 

"It's  a  good  deal  like  being  downstairs  on  a 
small  warship,"  declared  Fred.  "See,  there  are 
staterooms  and  messrooms  and  everything  else!" 

"Well,  I  suppose  they  have  to  give  the  crew 
some  comforts,  they  take  such  long,  disagreeable 
trips,"  remarked  Jack. 

The  three  cadets  wandered  around  in  the  in 
terior  of  the  submarine  for  over  a  quarter  of  an 


ON  BOARD   THE  SUBMARINE  281 

hour.  They  saw  where  a  number  of  repairs  were 
being  made  to  the  side  of  the  U-boat  and  also  to 
some  of  the  machinery,  and  they  also  saw  where 
some  stores  had  been  taken  on  board,  boxes  and 
barrels  of  various  kinds. 

"I  guess  they  are  stocking  up  for  another 
cruise,"  remarked  Gif. 

"It  must  be  quite  a  job  to  get  all  that  stuff  to 
this  out-of-the-way  place,"  said  Jack. 

"Yes,  and  to  do  it  so  secretly,  too,"  added  Fred. 

"I  think  I  see  a  way  of  making  this  boat  stay 
here  for  a  while,  at  least,"  remarked  Jack.  "It 
will  be  an  easy  matter  to  put  some  of  that  delicate 
machinery  forward  out  of  commission." 

"Come  on  and  do  it !"  cried  his  cousin  quickly. 

The  three  cadets  were  inspecting  the  machinery 
and  wondering  how  they  could  damage  it  effec 
tively  with  the  least  possible  trouble,  when  there 
came  a  sudden  interruption. 

"What  are  you  doing  here  ?"  came  in  a  guttural 
German  voice.  "Hands  up,  or  I  will  shoot  you !" 
And,  turning  quickly,  the  three  cadets  found 
themselves  confronted  by  a  burly  German,  hold 
ing  in  each  hand  a  pistol. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE   CABIN   IN   THE  WOODS 

IT  was  a  comparatively  easy  matter  for  the 
twins  and  Spouter  to  get  out  of  the  cavern  by  the 
way  they  had  entered.  It  was,  however,  not  so 
easy  for  them  to  climb  up  the  face  of  the  cliff 
fronting  that  portion  of  Barlight  Bay. 

"Some  climb,  believe  me!"  panted  Spouter, 
when  they  had  reached  a  spot  where  going  was 
easier. 

"I  came  pretty  near  slipping  and  breaking  my 
neck  at  one  point,"  said  Randy.  "I  don't  believe 
those  Germans  ever  use  that  entrance,  do  you?" 

"Not  very  often,"  answered  his  twin. 

The  three  cadets  had  reached  the  woods  at  a 
point  which  was  new  to  them,  being  almost  a  mile 
from  the  other  cliff,  where  they  had  had  the  out 
ing  with  the  girls.  Between  the  two  points  there 
was  a  split  in  the  land,  and  here  the  waters  from 
the  bay  dashed  in  over  a  long  series  of  jagged 
rocks. 

"We  can't  cross  there,"  remarked  Randy,  when 


THE  CABIN  IN  THE  WOODS  283 

they  had  reached  the  brink  of  this  split.  "We'll 
have  to  go  back  into  the  woods  and  go  around." 

It  was  now  about  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
and  the  tramping  and  climbing  had  tired  all  of 
the  boys,  yet  they  set  off  as  rapidly  as  possible, 
feeling  that  it  would  be  best  to  make  a  report  to 
Captain  Dale  as  soon  as  possible. 

"I  wish  we  had  some  trail  to  go  by,"  remarked 
Randy,  after  they  had  been  walking  for  at  least 
half  an  hour.  "I  begin  to  think  we  are  not  mov 
ing  in  the  right  direction." 

"I've  been  trying  to  guide  myself  by  the  sun," 
answered  Spouter.  "Just  the  same,  I  don't  be 
lieve  we  are  headed  exactly  for  the  camp." 

"I've  got  to  go  a  bit  slower,"  sighed  Andy,  who 
for  once  was  by  no  means  light-hearted.  "Both 
of  my  feet  are  beginning  to  hurt  from  all  that 
climbing  over  the  rocks.  I  came  pretty  close  to 
twisting  my  ankle  this  afternoon,  and  it  has  been 
paining  ever  since." 

Another  half  hour  went  by,  and  then,  as  the 
declining  sun  began  to  cast  long  shadows  through 
the  trees  of  the  forest,  the  cadets  looked  at  each 
other  in  alarm.  The  same  thought  had  come  into 
the  minds  of  each  of  them. 

"It  looks  as  if  we  were  lost,"  said  Randy  la 
conically.  "How  about  it?" 

"Oh,  as  the  Indian  said,  we're  not  lost,"  re- 


284       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

sponded  Andy,  with  a  faint  smile.  "It's  only  the 
camp  that  has  gone  astray." 

'This  is  no  time  for  joking,"  said  Spouter 
coldly.  "We've  got  to  get  back  to  camp,  and  do 
it  just  as  fast  as  we  can !" 

"All  right  then,  Spouter,  show  us  the  way,"  an 
swered  Andy  readily. 

"That's  something  I'm  not  so  sure  of,"  was 
the  slow  reply.  "Which  direction  do  you  think 
it  is  in?" 

The  matter  was  talked  over  for  several  min 
utes,  and  finally  the  cadets  moved  off  once  more, 
this  time  at  an  acute  angle  to  the  direction  they 
had  before  pursued.  They  went  forward  for 
perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  then,  much  to 
their  surprise,  suddenly  came  out  upon  a  well- 
defined  wagon  road. 

"Well,  what  do  you  know  about  this!"  cried 
Randy  in  astonishment. 

"Where  do  you  suppose  this  road  leads  to?" 
questioned  his  brother. 

At  this  Randy  shook  his  head,  and  Spouter  did 
likewise.  They  could  see  the  tracks  of  a  horse 
and  wagon  in  the  road,  and  also  the  marks  of 
automobile  tires. 

"It  must  be  quite  a  road  if  it  is  used  by  auto 
mobiles,"  was  Spouter's  comment.  "Now  the 
question  is — which  way  shall  we  go  in  order  to 


THE  CABIN  IN  THE  WOODS  285 

get  to  our  camp  ?"  All  had  noticed  that  the  road 
ran  in  something  of  a  semicircle. 

While  the  cadets  were  deliberating,  they  made 
another  discovery.  Smoke  was  coming  up  from 
among  some  of  the  trees  near  by,  and,  walking  in 
that  direction,  they  made  out  a  fair-sized  cabin, 
nestling  deep  between  some  trees  and  brushwood. 

"Maybe  we  can  get  some  assistance  at  that 
place,"  remarked  Andy. 

"I  don't  believe  it!"  returned  his  brother 
quickly.  "It's  more  than  likely  the  people  who 
live  there  are  in  league  with  those  Germans. 
They  must  have  heard  those  noises  the  same  as 
we  did,  and  probably  know  all  about  how  they 
are  being  made." 

"That's  it !"  warned  Spouter.  "If  I  were  you, 
I'd  go  slow  in  showing  myself  to  anybody  who 
may  be  at  that  cabin." 

The  boys  approached  with  caution,  keeping 
their  eyes  wide  open,  and  presently  discovered 
a  touring  car  standing  among  the  trees  to  one 
side  of  the  cabin. 

"I  don't  believe  that  car  belongs  here,"  said 
Randy.  "I  don't  see  anything  in  the  way  of  a 
garage.  And  that  looks  like  a  nice  city  car." 

Keeping  in  the  shelter  of  some  of  the  trees  and 
brushwood,  the  cadets  came  still  closer,  and  then 
made  another  discovery,  which  was  to  the  effect 


286       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

that  two  young  men  were  seated  in  the  tonneau  of 
the  car.  Each  was  smoking  a  cigarette,  and  they 
were  conversing  in  low  tones. 

"I  tell  you  I'm  going  to  hit  my  dad  for  a  hun 
dred  dollars  on  the  strength  of  this,"  they  heard 
one  of  the  occupants  of  the  car  remark.  "And  I 
bet  I  get  it,  too." 

"Well,  if  you  get  a  hundred,  Nappy,  I'm  going 
to  hit  for  a  hundred  myself,"  was  the  reply  of 
the  other  occupant.  "I  guess  my  father  can  af 
ford  to  give  me  that  amount  just  as  well  as  your 
father  can  afford  it." 

"Oh,  well,  Slugger,  you  must  remember  that 
my  dad  has  quite  a  bunch  of  money." 

"Huh !  I  don't  think  he's  any  better  fixed  than 
mine.  Here,  pass  over  another  cigarette.  Don't 
forget  I  paid  for  the  last  ones  we  bought." 

"Slugger  Brown  and  Nappy  Martell!"  whis 
pered  Randy  excitedly.  "Would  you  believe  it?" 

"What  can  those  fellows  be  doing  away  out 
here  in  the  woods?"  questioned  Spouter. 

"I'll  bet  I  know  what  they  are  here  for !"  cried 
Andy,  in  a  low  voice.  "They  brought  their  fath 
ers  out  here  in  that  touring  car." 

"What  would  they  be  doing  that  for?" 

"Don't  you  remember,  Spouter,  our  telling  you 
about  how  we  saw  Mr.  Brown  and  Mr.  Martell 
down  in  Wall  Street,  New  York,  talking  to  those 


THE  CABIN  IN  THE  WOODS  387 

fellows  who  looked  like  Germans,  and  how  they 
mentioned  supplies,  and  canned  goods,  and  ma 
chinery,  and  night  work,  and  a  whole  lot  of  things 
like  that?" 

"Sure  I  do!    And  you  think " 

"I'll  bet  Andy  has  it  right !"  interrupted  Randy. 
"Brown  and  Martdl  must  be  in  league  with  those 
Germans,  and  the  goods  and  machinery  and  other 
things  they  spoke  about  must  be  connected  with 
this  affair  of  the  disabled  submarine!  They 
wanted  extra  pieces  of  machinery  most  likely, 
and  they  also  wanted  extra  supplies,  having  prob 
ably  used  those  that  they  had  brought  along  from 
Germany." 

"You're  making  a  pretty  long  guess,  it  seems 
to  me,"  answered  Spouter.  "Just  the  same,  you 
may  be  right." 

Not  to  be  seen  by  Slugger  Brown  and  Nappy 
Martell,  the  three  cadets  had  withdrawn  to  a 
safe  distance.  Now,  however,  all  were  anxious 
to  ascertain  who  might  be  in  the  cabin,  and  so 
by  crouching  low  and  hiding  behind  one  tree  and 
another  and  then  some  rocks  and  low  bushes,  they 
at  last  came  up  close  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
shelter  in  the  forest. 

"Now  don't  show  yourselves  if  you  can  help 
it,"  said  Randy  in  a  whisper.  "And  if  any  one 
is  discovered,  leg  it  for  all  you  are  worth,  and 


288       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

keep  your  faces  turned  away  so  that  they  can't 
sec  who  you  are." 

With  this  understanding,  the  three  cadets  sur 
veyed  the  situation  critically.  The  cabin  con 
sisted  of  three  rooms,  each  boasting  of  a  win 
dow  on  either  side.  As  it  was  warm,  all  the 
windows  and  doors  were  wide  open  to  admit  the 
fresh  air. 

"And  that  is  what  I  mean  when  I  say  I  want 
to  settle  this  matter,"  they  heard,  in  the  voice  of 
Slogwell  Brown. 

"I  think  it's  a  shame  that  the  thing  has  hung 
fire  so  long,"  said  another  person  in  the  cabin, 
and  now  the  three  cadets  recognized  the  voice  of 
Nelson  Martell.  "I  would  never  have  gone  into 
it  if  I  had  known  there  would  be  so  much  delay. 
We  took  a  big  risk  in  getting  the  supplies  for 
you." 

"But,  gentlemen,  we  are  not  keeping  you  wait 
ing  any  longer  than  is  necessary,"  answered  a 
voice  with  a  strong  German  accent.  "We  have 
had  a  delay  in  receiving  our  own  remittance. 
Even  now  it  is  not  yet  arrived." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  you  haven't  got  the  money 
yet?"  demanded  Mr.  Brown.  His  tone  of  voice 
showed  that  he  felt  ugly. 

"It  was  promised  to-night  sure,"  was  the  an 
swer.  "Captain  Fuerhman  was  to  obtain  the 


THE  CABIN  IN  THE  WOODS  289 

money  at  the  Haven  Point  bank  this  afternoon." 

"Was  he  to  come  here  with  it  ?" 

"Yes." 

"Then  he  ought  to  be  here  by  now,"  grumbled 
Nelson  Martell,  consulting  his  watch. 

"He  had  to  see  about  a  small  piece  of  machin 
ery  that  was  to  be  cast  for  us,"  resumed  the  man 
who  spoke  with  a  German  accent.  "I,  however, 
expect  him  here  by  eight  o'clock  this  evening  at 
the  latest." 

"Well,  in  that  case  there  isn't  anything  left 
for  us  to  do  but  to  wait,"  said  Slogwell  Brown, 
surlily. 

"You  may  do  that,  or  you  may  come  back  at 
that  time,"  said  the  German.  "I  am  very  sorry 
to  keep  you  waiting,  but  as  I  said  before,  gentle 
men,  it  cannot  be  helped." 

"I  don't  believe  the  two  boys  will  want  to  wait 
outside  for  two  hours,"  said  Mr.  Martell  to  Mr. 
Brown,  "Suppose  we  ride  into  town  and  get  a 
bite  to  eat,  and  then  come  back  here?" 

"That  will  suit  me,  Martell.  Anything  to  kill 
off  the  time,"  answered  Slogwell  Brown.  He 
turned  to  the  German.  "We'll  be  back  here  by 
eight  o'clock.  And  remember!  that  money  has 
got  to  be  paid  to-night." 

"You  shall  have  every  dollar  that  is  coming  to 
you,  gentlemen,"  answered  the  German,  who,  as 


290 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 


it  afterwards  proved,  was  the  commander  of  the 
disabled  submarine. 

A  few  more  words  passed,  and  then  Mr. 
Brown  and  Mr.  Martell  came  out  of  the  cabin  to 
where  they  had  left  Slugger  and  Nappy  in  the 
touring  car.  They  entered  the  machine,  which 
was  immediately  backed  to  the  forest  road,  and 
then  the  whole  party  set  off,  Slugger  driving  the 
car. 

"Say,  listen!"  cried  Spouter  excitedly.  "I  be 
lieve  that  German  is  here  all  alone !  What  do  you 
say  if  we  make  him  a  prisoner?" 

"No,  no,  don't  do  that!"  answered  Randy 
quickly.  "We  want  to  bag  the  whole  bunch.  Let 
us  get  to  camp  just  as  soon  as  we  can  and  notify 
Captain  Dale.  Then  he  can  organize  a  crowd 
and  come  back  here  and  give  Brown  and  Martell 
and  the  Germans  the  surprise  of  their  lives." 

"But  how  are  we  going  to  find  our  camp?" 
questioned  Spouter. 

"Dead  easy.  If  that  is  the  road  to  Haven 
Point,  it  must  pass  through  Rackville,  and  if  it 
does  that,  it  must  come  pretty  close  to  our  camp. 
Come  onP 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE   FIGHT    ON    THE   SUBMARINE 

IT  must  be  admitted  that  Jack,  Fred,  and  Gif 
were  much  startled  when  they  suddenly  found 
themselves  confronted  by  an  armed  German  who 
looked  as  if  he  meant  what  he  said  when  he  com 
manded  them  to  throw  up  their  hands. 

On  first  going  aboard  the  submarine  the  three 
cadets  had  been  very  cautious,  but  as  they  had 
wandered  around  without  seeing  any  one  aboard 
the  craft,  they  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
it  was  deserted,  and  consequently  they  had  become 
less  careful  both  in  their  actions  and  their  conver 
sation. 

Of  course  their  hands  went  into  the  air.  The 
German  had  two  pistols,  and  he  looked  as  if  he 
would  be  willing  to  use  the  weapons  upon  the 
slightest  provocation.  He  was  a  burly,  red-faced 
man,  and  only  about  half  dressed.  Evidently  he 
had  been  sleeping  soundly  when  they  had  come 
aboard. 

"You  back  up  there  into  a  corner,"  growled 
291 


292       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

the  German.  He  spoke  English  quite  well,  al 
though  his  accent  was  Teutonic. 

The  young  cadets  did  not  know  what  else  to 
do,  and  so  obeyed  the  command.  As  they  were 
in  uniform,  the  German  took  them  to  be  Ameri 
can  soldiers,  and  this  disturbed  him  greatly, 

"Are  there  any  more  in  your  party  or  are  you 
alone?"  he  demanded. 

This  question  gave  Jack  a  sudden  idea. 

"Aione?"  he  cried.  "Not  much!  There  are 
over  a  hundred  of  us,"  he  answered,  referring, 
of  course,  to  the  number  of  cadets  at  Colby  Hall. 

"Are  you  telling  the  truth  ?"  growled  the  Ger 
man,  and  his  voice  betrayed  his  nervousness. 

"He  sure  is  telling  the  truth !  Look  behind  you 
and  see,"  said  Fred,  and  began  to  laugh  in  a  sug 
gestive  way. 

This  laugh  took  the  German  off  his  guard, 
and  he  turned  swiftly  to  see  who  might  be  behind 
him.  It  was  the  opportunity  that  the  young  cap 
tain  and  the  young  lieutenant  had  hoped  would 
come,  and,  taking  a  perilous  chance,  they  threw 
themselves  on  the  back  of  the  German,  each  at 
the  same  time  catching  hold  of  a  hand  that  held 
a  pistol.  Then  Gif  rushed  in ;  and  between  them 
the  cadets  succeeded  in  hurling  the  fellow,  mus 
cular  though  he  was,  to  the  floor. 

"Give  up!"  cried  Jack  suddenly,  and,  bringing 


THE  FIGHT  ON  THE  SUBMARINE        293 

out  his  flashlight,  he  placed  the  cold  glass  of  the 
end  against  the  German's  neck. 

"Kamerad!  Kamerad!"  yelled  the  fellow 
promptly,  thinking  that  it  was  a  pistol  which  was 
pressing  upon  him,  and  on  the  instant  he  released 
his  hold  on  the  two  pistols  while  he  stretched  out 
flat  on  his  chest  on  the  floor  of  the  submarine. 

Jack  lost  no  time  in  picking  up  one  of  the  pis 
tols,  while  Fred  picked  up  the  other.  The  flash 
light  was  turned  over  to  Gif,  who,  meanwhile, 
had  armed  himself  with  a  steel  bar. 

"Now  the  question  is — what  are  we  going  to 
do  with  this  fellow?"  remarked  Jack,  after  the 
short  encounter  had  come  to  an  end.  It  must  be 
confessed  that  he  and  the  others  were  much 
worked  up  over  the  situation,  for  they  had  not 
dreamed  of  coming  in  such  personal  contact  with 
one  of  the  enemy. 

"We've  got  to  get  out  of  here,  and  do  it  quick," 
returned  Gif.  "Those  other  Germans  may  come 
back  at  any  minute." 

"Yes,  but  we'll  have  to  take  this  fellow  along/' 
said  Fred.  "No  use  of  leaving  him  here  to  gire 
an  alarm." 

"We'll  gag  him!"  declared  the  young  captain. 
And  without  loss  of  time  the  three  cadets  fixed 
up  a  gag  such  as  they  sometimes  used  when  they 
were  initiating  a  new  member  of  one  of  the  se- 


294 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 


cret  societies  of  the  military  academy.  Then  the 
German's  hands  were  bound  tightly  behind  him, 
and  he  was  ordered  to  get  up  and  march. 

"Wait  a  minute,"  said  Fred.  "We'll  have  to 
fix  things  here  so  it  won't  look  suspicious.  We'll 
make  it  look  as  if  this  chap  had  just  stepped  out 
for  some  fresh  air." 

This  was  done,  and  a  few  minutes  later  the 
whole  party  left  the  submarine,  Gif  going  ahead 
and  the  Rovers  following  the  prisoner,  each  with 
a  pistol  ready  for  use.  In  this  fashion  they 
passed  over  the  gangplank,  and  then  made  their 
way  alongside  of  the  underground  pond  until 
they  came  to  the  spot  where  the  cadets  had  first 
discovered  the  Germans. 

"I  don't  believe  we  ought  to  leave  him  here," 
declared  Jack.  "That  gag  might  slip  and  he  might 
have  a  chance  to  make  considerable  noise,  and  if 
he  did  that  the  others  might  take  the  alarm  and 
sail  away  before  we  could  get  help." 

"We  made  a  mistake!"  cried  Gif.  "I  thought 
we  were  going  to  injure  some  of  the  machinery, 
so  that  they  couldn't  use  the  U-boat." 

"You're  right,  Gif !  I  got  so  excited  I  forgot 
all  about  that,"  declared  Jack. 

"You  can  run  back  now  and  do  it  if  you  want 
to,"  said  Fred.  "I'll  watch  the  prisoner." 

The  young  captain  and  Gif  did  as  had  been  sug- 


THE  FIGHT  ON  THE  SUBMARINE        295 

gested.  On  the  submarine  they  looked  over  the 
intricate  machinery  with  care,  and  presently  found 
some  things  which  they  could  disarrange  and 
which  would  probably  not  be  noticed  immediately. 
They  went  to  work  with  vigor,  and  came  away 
again  in  less  than  ten  minutes. 

"I  guess  she's  fixed  now,"  declared  Jack  to  his 
cousin,  when  they  had  rejoined  Fred  and  the 
prisoner.  "If  they  start  up  those  engines,  that 
submarine  will  perform  stunts  they  never  dreamed 
of." 

With  the  flashlight  shining  ahead  and  at  times 
on  the  prisoner,  the  Rovers  and  Gif  compelled  the 
German  to  move  along  the  passageway  until  they 
gained  the  opening  near  the  gully. 

"Look  out  there,  will  you?"  cried  Gif  suddenly, 
pointing  between  the  bushes  to  the  bay.  "There 
is  a  big  motor  boat  cruising  up  and  down !  Maybe 
they  can  give  us  aid." 

"It  looks  to  me  like  a  revenue  boat,"  declared 
Jack,  after  a  hurried  inspection.  "Say,  maybe 
they  are  patrolling  the  bay !" 

"That's  right!" 

"I  am  going  to  signal  to  them  and  find  out!" 
exclaimed  Fred ;  and  without  waiting  for  the  oth 
ers  to  reply,  the  young  lieutenant  dashed  over  the 
rocks  and  through  the  brushwood  in  the  direction 
of  the  bay  shore.  As  he  did  this  he  took  out  his 


296       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

handkerchief  and  waved  it  -wildly,  at  the  same 
time  calling  at  the  top  of  his  lungs. 

The  motor  boat,  a  long,  rakish-looking  craft, 
was  cruising  quite  close  to  the  shore,  and  pres 
ently  some  of  those  on  board  noticed  Fred's  call 
for  aid.  The  motor  of  the  craft  was  shut  off,  and 
the  boat  drifted  up  to  the  shore. 

"What  do  you  want?"  demanded  one  of  the 
men  on  board,  sharply. 

"We  want  help,  and  we  want  it  right  away!" 
declared  Fred.  And  then  he  added  as  he  got  a 
better  view  of  those  aboard  the  boat :  "Are  you 
United  States  officers?" 

"What  do  you  want  to  know  that  for?"  was 
the  counter  question. 

"Well,  if  you  are,  we  want  your  help,  and  want 
it  right  away." 

"Why?  Have  you  discovered  anything  un 
usual?"  demanded  one  of  the  officers  on  the  boat, 
and  his  manner  showed  his  intense  interest. 

"We  certainly  have !  And  more  than  that,  we 
have  made  a  prisoner — a  German." 

"You  don't  mean  it!"  said  one  of  the  other 
men  aboard  the  motor  boat,  and  then  looked  more 
sharply  at  Fred  than  ever.  "We'll  have  to  in 
vestigate  this,"  he  added  to  his  companions. 

There  were  three  officers  and  a  crew  of  eight 
aboard  the  boat,  which  was  quickly  brought  long- 


THE  FIGHT  ON  THE  SUBMARINE        297 

side  the  rock  on  which  Fred  was  standing.  As 
the  officers  leaped  ashore,  the  young  lieutenant 
saluted  and  was  saluted  in  return.  Then  Fred 
told  who  he  was  and  again  asked  the  men  if  they 
were  United  States  officers. 

"If  you've  got  a  German  prisoner,  and  you 
know  he  is  really  a  German  sympathizer,  you  had 
better  take  us  to  him  at  once,"  said  one  of  the  men, 
and,  turning  back  his  coat,  he  exhibited  his  badge. 

Feeling  that  the  craft  was  one  really  belong 
ing  to  our  government  and  that  the  officers  were 
Secret  Service  men,  Fred  told  his  story,  at  the 
same  time  leading  the  way  to  where  he  had  left 
Jack,  Gif,  and  the  prisoner. 

"Bailey  was  right,  after  all,"  said  one  of  the 
Secret  Service  men  to  his  fellow  officers.  "He 
always  declared  that  that  wrecked  submarine 
was  in  hiding  somewhere  around  these  waters." 

"Then  you  know  about  the  submarine?" 
queried  Fred  quickly. 

"If  it's  the  craft  we  think  it  is,"  was  the  reply. 
"That  U-boat  had  an  encounter  with  one  of  our 
submarine  destroyers,  and  in  trying  to  escape  we 
think  she  hit  some  of  the  rocks  on  the  reef  beyond 
here.  Some  of  the  naval  people  were  of  the  opin 
ion  that  she  had  gone  down,  but  others  thought 
she  had  escaped  to  some  base,  which,  of  course, 
was  unknown  to  our  authorities.  We  have  al- 


298       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

ways  had  a  suspicion  that  there  was  some  sort  of 
a  base  around  here.  We  were  cruising  to-day 
trying  to  locate  it." 

It  was  decided  that  the  Secret  Service  men 
should  take  charge  of  matters,  and  that  they 
would  sail  to  the  nearest  town  on  the  bay  so  that 
they  might  obtain  additional  help  with  which  to 
round  up  all  the  Germans  and  those  in  league 
with  them. 

"This  will  prove  a  very  important  capture," 
said  Mr.  Blarcomb,  who  was  the  head  officer  of 
the  crowd.  "And  you,  young  men,  can  rest  as 
sured  that  you  will  get  full  credit  for  what  you 
have  done." 

"If  you  don't  mind,  I  wish  you  would  drop  us 
off  at  our  camp,"  said  Jack  "It  will  save  us  a 
whole  lot  of  tramping." 

"We'll  do  that  willingly." 

It  did  not  take  the  motor  boat  long  to  cover 
the  distance  to  the  front  of  the  camp  where  the 
cadets  were  in  the  habit  of  bathing.  A  few  were 
now  in  the  water,  and  they  looked  in  wonder  at 
the  sudden  appearance  of  the  Rovers  and  Gif. 

"There  is  Captain  Dale  now !"  cried  Jack,  when 
they  had  landed  and  the  motor  boat  had  gone  on 
its  way.  "My !  won't  he  be  surprised  at  the  story 
we  have  to  tell?" 


THE  FIGHT  ON  THE  SUBMARINE        299 

"Maybe  he  has  already  heard  it,  from  Andy 
and  Randy  and  Spouter,"  suggested  Gif. 

But  the  old  West  Pointer  had  heard  nothing, 
for  the  others  had  not  yet  come  in  from  the  for 
est.  He  listened  in  amazement  to  the  story  the 
boys  had  to  tell. 

"I  would  like  to  be  at  that  round-up  myself," 
he  declared.  "I  trust  that  they  capture  every  one 
of  the  rascals."  And  then  he  added  with  a  smile : 
"This  is  certainly  a  feather  in  your  caps,  lads." 

It  was  only  a  little  later  when  the  twins  and 
Spout er  came  in.  They,  of  course,  were  also  ex 
cited. 

"Got  one  of  the  Germans  and  got  the  Secret 
Service  men  on  the  trail !"  declared  Fred  proudly. 

"Good  enough!"  cried  Andy.  "But  say!  we 
have  got  our  little  story  to  tell,  too ;"  and  then  he 
and  the  others  related  what  had  been  discovered 
at  the  cabin  in  the  woods. 

"This  certainly  is  important,"  declared  Cap 
tain  Dale.  "Who  would  ever  suppose  that  Mr. 
Brown  and  Mr.  Martell  were  in  league  with  these 
Germans !  They  certainly  ought  to  be  captured.*' 

"And  I'd  like  to  be  there  when  they  are 
caught,"  declared  Randy. 

"Well,  perhaps  you  will  be,"  answered  Captain 
Dale  significantly. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

AN   IMPORTANT   CAPTURE CONCLUSION 

EVEN  though  somewhat  old  and  likewise  rheu 
matic,  Captain  Dale  was  still  a  man  of  action, 
and  less  than  half  an  hour  later  he  had  perfected 
an  arrangement  with  the  Secret  Service  authori 
ties  both  at  Rackville  and  at  Camp  Huxwell. 
Three  automobiles  were  requisitioned  and  a  detail 
of  sixteen  men,  accompanied  by  several  Secret 
Service  authorities  soon  left  Camp  Huxwell, 
stopping  on  the  way  at  the  edge  of  Camp  Barlight. 
They  took  on  board  the  Rovers  and  their  chums, 
and  likewise  Captain  Dale,  all  of  whom  were 
anxious  to  see  the  wind-up  of  this  remarkable 
happening. 

While  still  some  distance  from  the  cabin,  the 
automobiles  were  brought  to  a  standstill,  and  the 
officers  and  soldiers,  as  well  as  the  cadets  and 
Captain  Dale,  alighted,  and  all  took  to  the  shelter 
of  the  brushwood. 

A  wait  of  nearly  half  an  hour  ensued,  and  dur 
ing  that  time  the  three  automobiles  were  run  deep 
into  the  woods,  where  they  would  not  be  noticed 
300 


AN  IMPORTANT  CAPTURE-CONCLUSION    301 

by  any  passersby.  Then  Randy,  who  had  been 
sent  down  the  road,  came  back  on  the  run. 

"An  auto  is  coming !"  he  announced. 

He  was  right,  and  a  minute  later,  the  machine, 
driven  by  Slugger  Brown,  came  into  sight  and  ran 
up  to  the  side  of  the  cabin.  Mr.  Brown  and  Mr. 
Martell  alighted,  leaving  Slugger  and  Nappy  in 
the  car  as  before. 

"Don't  let  'em  keep  you  here  all  night,  Dad  1" 
cried  Nappy. 

"Make  'em  come  to  terms  quick,"  said  Slug 
ger.  "They  have  no  right  to  hold  back  on  you." 

"You  leave  this  business  to  us — we  know  what 
we  are  doing,"  answered  Mr.  Brown. 

Of  course,  those  who  had  come  to  the  place 
from  the  two  camps  had  not  shown  themselves. 
All  were  secreted  behind  the  trees  and  bushes  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  cabin.  Now  they  watched 
intently  while  Mr.  Brown  and  Mr.  Martell  en 
tered  the  cabin,  and  as  they  did  this  they  noted  a 
steady  put-put  on  the  forest  road,  and  soon  a 
motorcycle  came  into  sight,  ridden  by  a  middle- 
aged  man  carrying  a  satchel  over  his  shoulder. 

"That  must  be  the  fellow  who  went  to  the  bank 
to  get  the  money,"  whispered  Andy. 

The  Secret  Service  men  had  arranged  their 
plans  with  care.  At  a  given  signal  four  of  the 
soldiers  from  Camp  Huxwell  surrounded  the 


302 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 


automobile  occupied  by  Slugger  and  Nappy,  who 
as  before  were  making  themselves  comfortable 
in  the  tonneau  and  smoking  cigarettes.  To  say 
that  those  two  unworthies  were  surprised,  would 
be  putting  it  mildly.  Slugger  leaped  to  his  feet 
in  amazement,  while  Nappy  set  up  a  howl  of  ter 
ror,  begging  the  soldiers  not  to  shoot  them. 

"We  haven't  done  anything  wrong!"  howled 
Nappy.  "Please  don't  point  that  gun  at  me !" 

"I  don't  understand  this,"  said  Slugger  ner 
vously.  "There  must  be  some  mistake. ' 

"The  only  mistake  is  the  one  you  made,  young 
man,"  declared  one  of  the  soldiers  briefly. 

In  the  meantime  there  was  an  interesting  scene 
going  on  in  the  main  room  of  the  cabin.  The 
German  in  charge  of  the  place  and  the  fellow  who 
had  come  in  on  the  motorcycle  were  talking  ear 
nestly  to  Slogwell  Brown  and  Nelson  Martell. 
The  men  from  New  York  had  a  number  of  docu 
ments  on  a  table,  and  were  trying  to  prove  that 
the  Germans  owed  them  over  eleven  thousand  dol 
lars,  while  the  Germans  were  equally  emphatic  in 
declaring  that  the  amount  due  was  less  than  ten 
thousand  dollars. 

"You've  got  to  pay  the  full  amount,"  growled 
Mr.  Brown.  "I  won't  take  off  a  cent  i" 

"That's  the  talk !"  broke  in  Mr.  Martell.  "And 
you  ought  not  to  kick,  either.  We  have  taken 


AN  IMPORTANT  CAPTURE— CONCLUSION    303 

terrible  chances  in  having  these  things  supplied 
to  you." 

"Yes,  and  don't  forget  that  you  would  never 
have  had  this  secret  base  on  Barlight  Bay  if  it 
hadn't  been  for  me,"  put  in  Slogwell  Brown. 

"We're  not  forgetting  anything,"  said  one  of 
the  Germans.  "And  if  you  insist  upon  it  that 
we  owe  you  that  amount,  we  will  pay  it." 

The  man  who  had  come  in  on  the  motorcycle 
had  opened  his  valise,  and  now  he  took  out  sev 
eral  packages  of  banknotes.  Evidently  Brown 
and  Martell  were  to  be  paid  in  cash.  Probably 
they  had  refused  to  accept  anything  in  the  way  of 
a  check. 

The  money  had  just  been  paid  over  and  some 
receipts  given  when  the  leader  of  the  Secret  Serv 
ice  men  gave  the  order,  and  the  cabin  was  im 
mediately  surrounded. 

"Hands  up  in  there,  everybody !"  was  the  stern 
command. 

If  Slugger  and  Nappy  had  been  surprised,  their 
fathers  were  even  more  so,  while  the  two  Ger 
mans  were  taken  completely  off  their  guard. 
Each  of  the  latter  was  armed,  but  one  look  at  the 
United  States  officers  with  their  pistols  and  the 
soldiers  with  their  rifles  was  too  much  for  them, 
and  with  grunts  of  disgust  they  ti.  jw  their  hands 
into  the  air. 


304 


THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 


"Who — what — I — er — I  don't  understand 
this,"  stammered  Slogwell  Brown,  turning  pale. 

"There — there — must  be — er — some  mistake," 
faltered  Nelson  Martell,  and  then  with  shaking 
knees  he  sank  slowly  back  on  a  bench. 

A  brief  war  of  words  followed,  Brown  and 
Martell  doing  everything  they  could  think  of  to 
explain  the  situation  so  that  they  might  not  be 
placed  under  arrest.  But  their  guilt  was  so  bare 
faced  that  the  government  officers  would  hardly 
listen  to  them.  Both  they  and  the  Germans  were 
searched  and  all  their  weapons  were  taken  from 
them.  Then  the  prisoners  were  handcuffed  to 
gether,  and  the  officers  made  a  thorough  search 
of  the  cabin,  picking  up  everything  it  contained 
of  value.  One  took  charge  of  the  documents 
found  and  also  the  money  which  had  been  passed 
over  to  Mr.  Brown. 

"A  fine  piece  of  business  for  a  so-called  Amer 
ican  to  be  in !"  said  the  head  Secret  Service  man 
to  Brown  and  Martell  sternly.  "I  wouldn't  be 
in  your  shoes  for  a  billion  dollars." 

"It's— it's — all  a  mistake.  I'll — er — explain 
everything  later,"  said  Slogwell  Brown  weakly. 

As  for  Nelson  Martell,  he  was  on  the  verge  of 
a  collapse,  and  had  to  be  supported  when  all  left 
the  cabin. 

In  the  meanv.nile  other  interesting  happenings 


AN  IMPORTANT  CAPTURE-CONCLUSION    305 

were  taking  place  in  the  vicinity  of  the  wrecked 
submarine.  There  a  number  of  Secret  Service 
men  and  other  officers  of  the  law  under  the  lead 
ership  of  Mr.  Blarcomb,  did  what  they  could  to 
round  up  all  those  connected  with  the  U-boat. 
There  was  something  of  a  running  fight,  and 
quite  a  few  shots  were  exchanged.  In  this  fight 
two  of  the  Germans  were  seriously  wounded,  and 
one  of  the  Secret  Service  men  got  a  bullet  through 
his  shoulder.  But  in  the  end  all  of  the  enemy 
were  captured,  and  then  the  authorities  took 
charge  of  the  disabled  submarine,  and  also  the 
underground  workshop,  where  the  Germans  had 
been  laboring  so  hard  to  get  their  undersea  boat 
once  more  into  shape  to  sail. 

It  was  after  midnight  before  all  these  happen 
ings  came  to  an  end  and  the  evildoers  had  either 
been  placed  in  jail  or  under  a  strong  military 
guard.  The  capture,  of  course,  was  kept  as  se 
cret  as  possible  by  the  government  officials. 

"And  to  think  that  the  fathers  of  Nappy  Mar- 
tell  and  Slugger  Brown  are  guilty!"  cried  Ruth 
Stevenson,  when  Jack  met  her  later  on  and  told 
her  some  of  the  particulars.  "Isn't  it  dreadful? 
What  will  they  do  with  them?" 

"Most  likely  they  will  be  interned  for  the  pe 
riod  of  the  war,  and  maybe  they  will  get  regular 
jail  sentences,"  answered  the  young  captain. 


3«6   THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

"And  what  will  they  do  with  Nappy  and  Slug 
ger?" 

"Oh,  they  will  probably  be  interned  also." 

After  the  men  at  the  cabin  in  the  forest  and 
the  Germans  from  the  wrecked  submarine  had 
been  rounded  up,  Jed  Kessler  was  called  in,  and 
without  hesitation  he  recognized  two  of  the  men 
he  had  seen  at  the  ammunition  plant  just  before 
the  explosion  occurred.  One  fellow  was  a  clean 
shaven  man,  but  it  was  proved  that  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  wearing  a  heavy  wig  and  a  heavy  false 
beard. 

"That  fellow  is  one  of  the  two  we  saw  in  New 
York  talking  to  Mr.  Bix)wn  and  Mr.  Martell!" 
cried  Randy.  And  he  was  right,  as  it  afterwards 
proved. 

For  catching  these  two  snen  who,  it  was  later 
proved,  had  caused  the  wieckage  at  the  ammuni 
tion  plant,  the  reward  offered  was  divided  equally 
between  Jed  Kessler,  the  four  Rovers  and  Gif  and 
Spouter,  much  to  their  satisfaction. 

"This  gives  each  of  us  a  very  neat  bank  ac 
count,"  declared  Spouter.  "I'm  going  to  save 
most  of  it,  but  some  of  it  I'll  sperki  this  summer 
on  my  vacation." 

"Maybe  we'll  all  do  that,"  put  in  Andy. 

From  the  authorities  it  was  learned  that  Slog- 
well  Brown  had  owned  a  large  portion  o(  the 


AN  IMPORTANT  CAPTURE— CONCLUSION     307 

shore  front  lying  between  Camp  Huxwell  and 
Camp  Barlight.  He  had  sold  all  his  holdings  to 
the  government,  but  this  had  not  prevented  the 
unscrupulous  man  from  making  a  deal  with  some 
German  agents  for  the  use  of  the  cave  under  the 
cliff  by  our  country's  enemies. 

"He  was  a  rascal  both  ways,"  declared  Cap 
tain  Dale,  in  talking  the  matter  over  with  the 
Rovers.  "He  took  the  government's  money  at 
one  end  and  the  Germans'  money  at  the  other.  It 
is  right  that  he  goes  to  jail." 

And  to  jail  Slogwell  Brown  went,  accompanied 
by  Nelson  Martell,  each  to  serve  a  number  of 
years  at  hard  labor.  Slugger  and  Nappy  were 
sent  to  a  detention  camp  in  the  South;  and  that 
for  the  time  being  was  the  last  the  Rovers  heard 
of  them. 

Although  there  was  considerable  excitement 
around  the  encampment  caused  by  the  discovery 
of  the  German  submarine  base,  the  cadets  were 
not  allowed  to  forego  their  drilling  and  their  army 
maneuvers.  Nor  did  they  give  up  the  athletic 
contests  they  had  promised  themselves.  There 
were  swimming  races  and  boat  races,  and  like 
wise  several  baseball  matches,  and  also  contests 
in  running,  high  and  broad  jumping,  and  in  a 
tug-of-war. 

"I'll  tell  you  one  thing — this  encampment  is  one 


3o8       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

long  to  be  remembered,"  remarked  Jack,  when  the 
outing  had  almost  come  to  an  end. 

The  next  day  came  a  message  from  Camp  Hux- 
weli.  The  fathers  of  the  Rovers,  as  well  as  many 
of  their  friends,  were  to  depart  immediately  for 
Hoboken,  there  to  take  one  of  the  big  transports 
for  France.  Of  course,  the  boys,  as  well  as  their 
sisters  and  their  mothers,  went  to  see  Dick,  Tom, 
and  Sam  Rover  off. 

"The  best  of  luck  to  you,  Dad!"  cried  Jack, 
when  the  time  came  for  parting.  "I  hope  you 
make  a  good  record  for  yourselves." 

"You  can  rest  assured,  Son,  we  will  do  our 
best,"  answered  Dick  Rover. 

Then  there  were  numerous  handshakes,  the 
waving  of  handkerchiefs,  and  while  the  girls  and 
the  women  were  trying  hard  to  smile  and  to  keep 
back  the  tears,  the  soldiers  departed  on  the  train. 

"Gee,  I  wish  I  was  going  along !"  sighed  Fred. 
But  this,  of  course,  could  not  be,  for  all  the  boys 
were  much  too  young  to  join  the  army. 

By  leaving  Camp  Barlight  that  day  the  Rovers 
had  missed  one  of  the  important  baseball  games, 
but  for  this  they  did  not  care.  They  tried  to  join 
in  the  festivities  that  evening,  but  it  was  a  failure. 
Their  thoughts  were  with  their  fathers.  Would 
they  come  back  from  the  war  in  safety? 

"All  we  can  do  is  to  hope  for  the  best,"  re- 


AN  IMPORTANT  CAPTURE— CONCLUSION    309 

marked  Randy ;  and  there  the  matter  was  allowed 
to  rest. 

Of  course,  the  boys  were  eager  for  news  con 
cerning  the  Browns  and  the  Martells,  and  also 
the  Germans  who  had  been  captured,  and  they 
eagerly  devoured  every  shred  of  information  that 
came  their  way. 

"Well,  one  thing  is  certain — we  are  well  rid  of 
Slugger  and  Nappy  and  their  fathers,"  remarked 
Jack. 

"Yes,  and  I  guess  we  are  rid  of  Gabe  Werner, 
too,"  returned  Fred.  "He  seems  to  have  dropped 
out  entirely." 

But  in  his  remark  concerning  Werner  the 
young  lieutenant  was  mistaken.  Gabe  Werner 
turned  up  in  their  path  most  unexpectedly,  and 
how  will  be  related  in  the  next  volume  in  this  se 
ries,  to  be  entitled  "The  Rover  Boys  on  a  Hunt; 
or,  The  Mysterious  House  in  the  Woods." 

In  that  volume  we  shall  learn  what  the  Rover 
boys  did  on  a  most  important  outing,  and  also 
learn  something  of  what  happened  to  their  fath 
ers  while  fighting  on  the  great  battlefields  of 
France. 

"Well,  boys,  I've  got  pretty  good  news  to-day," 
remarked  Randy,  rushing  into  the  camp  one  after 
noon  and  holding  up  a  letter.  "Mr.  Powell  has 
invited  all  of  us  to  spend  ten  days  or  two  weeks 


310       THE  ROVER  BOYS  UNDER  CANVAS 

at  his  camp  on  Lake  George  this  summer.  May 
is  going  to  have  all  the  girls  there,  including  Mary 
and  Martha  and  Ruth,  and  Mr.  Powell  wants 
every  one  of  us  to  come  up  and  take  part  in  the 
good  times." 

"Gee,  that  suits  me  right  to  the  top  of  the  flag 
staff  !"  burst  out  his  twin  brother.  And  then,  in 
high  spirits,  Andy  turned  several  flipflaps,  and 
ended  by  beginning  a  wrestling  match  with  Fred. 

"Well,  we'll  be  there,  all  right  enough!"  cried 
Jack. 

"Will  we?"  came  from  Fred.  "Just  wait  and 
see!" 

Then  the  drums  rattled,  and  the  young  captain 
and  the  young  lieutenant,  followed  by  the  others, 
rushed  off  to  get  ready  for  the  evening  roll  call 
and  parade.  And  here,  for  the  time  being,  we 
will  leave  the  Rover  boys  and  say  good-bye. 

THE   END 


WESTERN  STORIES  FOR  BOYS 

By  JAMES  CODY  FERRIS 

Each  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

Thrilling  tales  of  the  great  west,  told  primarily  for  boys 
but  which  will  be  read  by  all  who  love  mystery,  rapid 
action,  and  adventures  in  the  great  open  spaces. 

The  Manly  boys,  Roy  and  Teddy,  are  the  sons  of  an  old 
ranchman,  the  owner  of  many  thousands  of  heads  of  cattle. 
The  lads  know  how  to  ride,  how  to  shoot,  and  how  to 
take  care  of  themselves  under  any  and  all  circumstances. 

The  cowboys  of  the  X  Bar  X  Ranch  are  real  cowboys, 
on  the  job  when  required,  but  full  of  fun  and  daring — a 
bunch  any  reader  will  be  delighted  to  know. 

THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  ON  THE  RANCH 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  IN  THUNDER  CANYON 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  ON  WHIRLPOOL  RIVER 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  ON  BIG  BISON  TRAIL 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  AT  THE  ROUND-UP 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  AT  NUGGET  CAMP 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  AT  RUSTLER'S  GAP 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  AT  GRIZZLY  PASS 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  LOST  IN  THE  ROCKIES 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  RIDING  FOR  LIFE 
THE  X  BAR  X  BOYS  IN  SMOKY  VALLEY 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,    Publishers,    NEW  YORK 


THE  HARDY  BOYS  SERIES 

By  FRANKLIN  W.  DIXON 

Illustrated.     Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself 

The  Hardy  Boys  are  sons  of  a  celebrated  American 
detective,  and  during  vacations  and  their  off  time  from 
school  they  help  their  father  by  hunting  down  clues  them 
selves. 

THE  TOWER  TREASURE — A  dying  criminal  confessed  that 
his  loot  had  been  secreted  "  in  the  tower."  It  remained  for  the 
Hardy  Boys  to  clear  up  the  mystery. 

THE  HOUSE  ON  THE  CLIFF— Mr.  Hardy  started  to  invest- 
igate — and  disappeared !  An  odd  tale,  with  plenty  of  excitement. 

THE  SECRET  OF  THE  OLD  MILL— Counterfeit  money  was 
in  circulation,  and  the  limit  was  reached  when  Mrs.  Hardy  took 
some  from  a  stranger.  A  tale  full  of  thrills. 

THE  MISSING  CHUMS — Two  of  the  Hardy  Boys'  chums 
disappear  and  are  almost  rescued  by  their  friends  when  all  are 
captured.  A  thrilling  story  of  adventure. 

HUNTING  FOR  HIDDEN  GOLD— in  tracing  some  stolen 
gold  the  trail  leads  the  boys  to  an  abandoned  mine,  and  there 
things  start  to  happen. 

THE  SHORE  ROAD  MYSTERY— Automobiles  were  disap 
pearing  most  mysteriously  from  the  Shore  Road.  It  remained  for 
the  Hardy  Boys  to  solve  the  mystery. 

THE  SECRET  OF  THE  CAVES— When  the  boys  reached 
the  caves  they  came  unexpectedly  upon  a  queer  old  hermit. 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  CABIN  ISLAND— A  story  of  queer 
adventures  on  a  rockbound  island. 

THE  GREAT  AIRPORT  MYSTERY— The  Hardy  Boys  solve 
the  mystery  of  the  disappearance  of  some  valuable  mail. 
WHAT  HAPPENED  AT  MIDNIGHT— The  boys  follow  a 
trail  that  ends  in  a  strange  and  exciting  situation. 

7HILE  THE  CLOCK  TlCKED-The  Hardy  Boys  aid  in  vin- 

g  a  man  who  has  been  wrongly  accused  of  a  crime. 
FOOTPRINTS  UNDER  THE  WINDOW— The  Smuggling 
Chinese  into  this  country  is  the  basis  of  this  story  in  which  the 
boys  nnd  thrills  and  excitement  aplenty. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  Publishers,  NEW  YORK 


TED  SCOTT  FLYING  STORIES 

By  FRANKLIN  W.  DIXON 

Illustrated.     Each  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

No  subject  has  so  thoroughly  caught  the  imagination  of 
young  America  as  aviation.  This  series  has  been  inspired 
by  recent  daring  feats  of  the  air,  and  is  dedicated  to 
Lindbergh,  Byrd,  Chamberlin  and  other  heroes  of  the  skies. 

OVER  THE  OCEAN  TO  PARIS; 

or,  Ted  Scott's  Daring  Long  Distance  Flight. 

RESCUED  IN  THE  CLOUDS; 

or,  Ted  Scott,  Hero  of  the  Air. 

OVER  THE  ROCKIES  WITH  THE  AIR  MAIL; 

or,  Ted  Scott  Lost  in  the  Wilderness. 

FIRST  STOP  HONOLULU; 

or,  Ted  Scott  Over  the  Pacific. 

THE  SEARCH  FOR  THE  LOST  FLYERS; 

or,  Ted  Scott  O-vtr  the  West  Indies. 

SOUTH  OF  THE  RIO  GRANDE; 

or,  Ted  Scott  On  a  Secret  Mission. 

ACROSS  THE  PACIFIC ; 

or,  Ted  Scott's  Hop  to  Australia. 

THE  LONE  EAGLE  OF  THE  BORDER; 

or,  Ted  Scott  and  the  Diamond  Smugglers. 

FLYING  AGAINST  TIME; 

or,  Breaking  the  Ocean  to  Ocean  Record. 

OVER  THE  JUNGLE  TRAILS  ; 
or,  Ted  Scott  and  the  Missing  Explorers. 
LOST  AT  THE  SOUTH  POLE; 
or,  Ted  Scott  in  Blizzard  Land. 
THROUGH  THE  AIR  TO  ALASKA; 
or,  Ted  Scott's  Search  in  Nugget  Valley. 
FLYING  TO  THE  RESCUE ; 
or,  Ted  Scott  and  the  Big  Dirigible. 
DANGER  TRAILS  OF  THE  SKY; 
or,  Ted  Scott's  Great  Mountain  Climb. 
FOLLOWING  THE  SUN  SHADOW; 
or,  Ted  Scott  and  the  Great  Eclipse. 

BATTLING  THE  WIND; 

or,  Ted  Scott  Flying  Around  Cape  Horn. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK 


THE  DON  STURDY  SERIES 

By  VICTOR  APPLETON 

Author  of  "The  Tom  Swift  Series" 

Every  red-blooded  boy  will  enjoy  the  thrilling  adventures 
of  Don  Sturdy.  In  company  with  his  uncles,  one  a  big 
game  hunter,  the  other  a  noted  scientist,  he  travels  far  and 
wide — into  the  jungles  of  South  America,  across  the  Sahara, 
deep  into  the  African  jungle,  up  where  the  Alaskan  volca 
noes  spout,  down  among  the  head  hunters  of  Borneo  and 
many  other  places  where  there  is  danger  and  excitement. 
Every  boy  who  has  known  Tom  Swift  will  at  once  become 
the  boon  companion  of  daring  Don  Sturdy. 

DON  STURDY  ON  THE  DESERT  OF  MYSTERY 
DON  STURDY  WITH  THE  BIG  SNAKE  HUNTERS 
DON  STURDY  IN  THE  TOMBS  OF  GOLD 
DON  STURDY  ACROSS  THE  NORTH  POLE 
DON  STURDY  IN  THE  LAND  OF  VOLCANOES 
DON  STURDY  IN  THE  PORT  OF  LOST  SHIPS 
DON  STURDY  AMONG  THE  GORILLAS 
DON  STURDY  CAPTURED  BY  HEAD  HUNTERS 
DON  STURDY  IN  LION  LAND 
DON  STURDY  IN  THE  LAND  OF  GIANTS 
DON  STURDY  ON  THE  OCEAN  BOTTOM 
DON  STURDY  IN  THE  TEMPLES  OF  FEAR 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,    PUBLISHERS,    NEW  YORK 


University  of  California 
SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 
im  this  material  to  the  library 
:h  it  was  borrowed. 


C 

r 


r 
r 


r 
* 


Ur 


